


Kankei no Okami / Wolf Connection

by MilayaMilenZeal, Night_the_Dragon



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Child raising, Co-op story, Family, M/M, Midieval Japan, Shapeshifting, beastiality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-09-12 08:39:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9064495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilayaMilenZeal/pseuds/MilayaMilenZeal, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_the_Dragon/pseuds/Night_the_Dragon
Summary: When Joshua moved from Edo to Mino with his parents, his first concern was to make friends that he had been unable to make in the big city, where he and his mother were labeled as "foreigners", despite being born and raised in Japan. But Edo had one thing that Mino and the other smaller villages lack; proper protection against the "okami" -- large, territorial wolf beings that prey on humans getting too close to their territory.And the last thing Joshua had been prepared for, was for him to not only encounter an okami, but also to be taken from his family by the large beast.Imagine his surprise when he discovers he's now stuck with the grumpy red-furred okami due to some sort of bond that links them together for life.





	1. Prologue

****

### Prologue

“Honey, we shouldn’t be here…”

“It’s _fine_ , dear. Don’t worry so much; they put those signs out _all_ the time.”

The woman didn’t reply, but she continued to wring her hands in the hem of her kimono as the cart trudged along steadily across the barely used path. Their horse was snorting and tossing his head every so often, and to her, this was a sign of trouble, but her stubborn husband refused to pay attention to the signs and pushed them ever forward. Even when the sun was almost entirely blotted out by the trees, he refused to turn around.

He was the pinnacle of calm and collected, whereas she was almost shaking bad enough to make the cart shake even worse. She just couldn’t get that sign that her husband had stubbornly refused to acknowledge out of her mind;

“ ** _WARNING_**

**_OKAMI TERRITORY!!_ **

**_KEEP OUT_** ”

It was common knowledge to farmers traveling to and from Edo to never cross into okami territory; not only were they extremely territorial, they didn’t take kindly to humans. And even if you stayed well out of their territory, the chance of an attack was alarmingly high. Especially when the night was setting.

Her husband had lived in Edo for a good decade by now before their marriage, and perhaps it had dulled his fear of the wolf demons, but for her, the fear was real. It was very real.

A twig snapped then and she jumped.

“What was that?!”

“We drove over a twig, love. _Relax_ ,” her husband assured.

She didn’t believe it; that sound came from the right, she was sure of it.

A growl reverberated from the bushes on the right, and panic began to set in.

“H-honey…!”

“Calm down; we’re almost out of the woods.”

Another snap, and this time it was too much.

“I-I can’t take this!!” she wailed, panic taking over completely as she vaulted from the cart and ran, back the way they’d come.

“Chisaru!!”

But the shout came too late; even as her husband stopped the cart and rushed after her, the forest around her seemed to scream and rage at her, snapping branches at her clothes to stop her mad dash, tears of fear trailing along her face. She heard heavy breathing; too heavy to be human, and it just kept coming closer and closer, until she could almost feel it in her neck.

She was almost out, though; she was so _sure_ of it…!

But then a lance of pain sliced through her back and she screamed as she fell to the ground. Pain shot through her entire being, but she continued trying to scrabble away desperately, screaming and begging of whatever Gods heard her to save her. But her prayers went unanswered, as a large jaw snapped shut on her waist and she was shaken around viciously, the massive teeth tearing through cloth and skin as she screamed in agony.

“ ** _Let her go, you son of a bitch!_** ” came her husband’s voice, and something struck the beast holding her in its maw, and there was a brief yip. But just as suddenly, there was a vicious snarl, as the beast moved suddenly, and then her husband screamed.

“ _Shiro!_ ” she cried out, before she was smashed against a tree, and then another, and then a third, at which point she struck her head harshly, causing the world the spin on its axis violently. She almost threw up, but then she was thrown across the path, and she could only lay there, writhing and wailing in agony.

Her last conscious thought was that the beast stood over her, and she felt some sort of liquid dripping over her…

And then she knew no more…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a hundred percent sure where this story originated from, but I guess that matters very little at this point. This was started as an RP between me and Night_the_Dragon, and I figured it was about time to bring this out.


	2. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arriving in a new place is always a bit overwhelming, but for Joshua especially as he has his first encounter with the okami.

As morning filtered through the slight crack in the curtain of their carriage, Joshua’s consciousness slowly returned to him. Upon a sudden jolt of the carriage, he snapped awake almost immediately, confusion hitting him for a moment, before he remembered what was going on; his parents had decided to move away from Edo, as they believed the country life to be better for their son, even though Joshua hadn’t had any say in it. Not that he really had anything to complain about, as he hadn’t really had much holding him back in Edo.

Still, the trip was a long one, and he wondered absently how much longer it would take.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” came a familiar voice as there was a gentle touch to his head.

Joshua smiled slightly up at his mother before yawning widely as he sat up. “Morning, Mother,” he murmured, before looking out of the carriage.

“Finally awake, eh?” Noboru, his father, chuckled. “Took ya long enough.”

“Hey!” Joshua pouted in protest.

“Go easy on him, Nobo,” his mother, Eleanora -- Ellie, for short -- teased her husband.

Whereas Noboru looked pretty much the same as most Japanese, meaning black hair and eyes, Joshua’s mother had light, silvery blonde hair and vibrant bluish-violet eyes. Despite her coloration, however, she was born and raised in Japan, even if it was to a couple of Dutch migrants. This didn’t stop people from labeling her as a “foreigner”, though, with Noboru being one of the few who had bothered to get to know her beyond her “strange appearance”.

As she looked out the window as well, she frowned as she realized where they were. “Joshua, close the curtain,” she said firmly.

Joshua frowned in confusion, but closed the curtain anyway.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. He’d never heard his mother be that firm with him about something as simple as closing the curtains.

“That’s okami territory,” Ellie explained. “It’s best not to look at it… lest they notice you looking…”

“They always watch?” Joshua asked.

“Yes, the okami are incredibly territorial, so they always watch over their territory,” Noboru said, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

“No one really knows why they hate us so much… but there’s no denying that they do…” Ellie confirmed with a soft sigh as the carriage trudged on.

As his parents reclined back in their seats, the silverette peeked out the curtain again, despite what his mother had advised, and saw something out of place. As the carriage continued on, something in the darkness of the forest seemed to move alongside it, but it could just as well have been a trick of the light. Because, as he blinked once, the apparition had disappeared.

“Joshua, keep the curtain closed like your mother said,” Noboru ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. The teen was quick to heed his father’s words, and sat back in his seat, sighing quietly.

Had Joshua kept the curtain open a little longer, though, he might’ve seen the dark eyes watching the carriage go, a murderous look burning in its gaze.

 

After what felt like forever, the carriage finally stopped in Mino and let the family get out. It was a small enough village, and it looked very cozy. There were a few people who looked up at Ellie and Joshua as they got out, but despite the looks, no one addressed them. Not that that was much better than being constantly being labeled, of course.

Joshua sighed quietly at the looks they received, knowing how people thought of him and his mother as foreigners just because of their looks. He really wished people could just learn to look past it all.

“Don’t worry too much, Joshua,” his father assured them. “We’re fine here.”

“Let’s just get going,” Ellie offered, gathering her bag. “The sooner we can get settled in, the better…”

“Right,” Joshua nodded, and gathered up his own belongings before following after his parents.

The house they would be staying at was a simple enough one. It was really nothing like the houses in Edo, but it was pleasant nonetheless, and it was definitely a place they could come to call home in due time.

“What do you think, Joshua?” Noboru asked his son.

“It’s got a quaint feel to it, but I like it,” Joshua smiled.

“Good,” Ellie smiled, briefly hugging her son before she turned to her husband. “Well, let’s go get settled in, shall we?”

“Right,” he agreed. “Joshua, you can stay here and check the house out, if you want.”

“Okay,” the silverette nodded with a small smile. He then began to explore the house while his parents unloaded the carriage.

The house had clearly been inhabited before, as was evident from the lack of dust, but there was little else to say about the interior. It certainly didn’t say much about the previous inhabitants. As he moved through the rooms, though, he soon came across what appeared to be a music room, with a koto set up in the center of the room.

Joshua quirked a brow in question as he eyed it, but decided to see if it had been properly cared for by the previous owners. Placing the picks over his fingers, he then began to play a song his mother had taught him. And as his fingers played at the strings, he realized that the koto was, indeed, well taken care of. The notes being played were beautiful, and playing in the familiar tune only made them seem that much better.

“Having fun there?” came a familiar giggle.

Joshua jumped, startled, but then smiled at his mother. “Yeah,” he answered. “I found this in here, but I wonder why the previous owners left it here?”

“Not sure…” Ellie murmured as she walked over and then settled down beside him. “No one seems to want to speak of the previous owner… All we know for certain is that they simply left and never returned.”

“That’s weird,” Joshua commented. “I wonder who they were?”

“Let’s not worry about that, okay?” Ellie said as she rubbed Joshua’s head. “C’mon; let’s go see which room you’d like, ne?”

“Okay,” the teen relented, and followed his mother to check out the bedrooms. As they looked around, though, his mind kept wandering back to that koto in the lone room. Eventually, he settled on his pick, and so his father and he set up his room with the basics he would need in there.

 

After night fell, Joshua had difficulty falling asleep. Maybe it was because of the surroundings, or maybe it was simply because he’d slept on the way over, but whatever the reason was, Joshua couldn’t sleep well that night, and simply laid staring at the ceiling. And as he lay there, Joshua idly wondered how life in this new place would play out for him. Would he make new friends, unlike he did in Edo? He hoped so, but at the same time was nervous of the idea. After all, he didn’t resemble his father much, which, given the current environment of Japan, wasn’t doing him any favors.

After a long time of contemplating this, he shut his eyes again… only for them to snap open when a howl pierced through the air outside.

Alarmed, the silverette vaulted out of bed, and immediately ran down the hall and to his parents’ room. As he entered the room, his parents didn’t seem to have heard the howl, as they were already fast asleep. However, the moment Joshua latched onto Ellie, both of them woke up with a start.

“Joshua?” Ellie questioned worriedly.

“I heard a howl outside…” he whimpered.

“A howl…?” Ellie repeated, confused, before another howl resounded from outside. “…!! Ah!”

“What do we do?” Joshua asked in a scared voice.

“Just stay calm, Joshua,” Noboru advised. “Stay with us, though. Safety in numbers, after all.”

Ellie wrapped her arms firmly around her son, shushing him gently as they listened to the howling continue on outside. Thankfully, the sound didn’t appear to be getting any closer, but at the same time, it didn’t appear to be going away, either.

Finally, though, the sound died down, and silence settled outside once again, allowing the family to breathe easily.

“I think it’s gone…” Ellie whispered softly.

“I think so, too,” her husband agreed.

“C… can I stay with you for the night?” Joshua asked quietly.

“Of course you can, sweetie,” Ellie promised, kissing her son’s temple. “It’ll be okay; I promise.”

“Okay,” the teen mumbled, still nervous of the okami outside from before. He climbed into bed with his parents, settling himself between them, and soon fell fast asleep, comforted by his parents’ warm presence.

As the family fell asleep, a single figure outside of the village watched in silence, before it disappeared into the forest silently.


	3. Friends / Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua makes a new friend on his first day in Mino. Too bad the enjoyment doesn't last long...

Despite how he’d not been able to sleep much the night prior, Joshua still managed to sleep in until noon (somehow). Thankfully, his mother had decided to stay by his side while he slept, quietly reading a book she’d brought with her.

Once she noticed him waking up, she smiled at him. “Good morning.”

“Morning, Mother,” her son murmured, and then yawned. “Where’s Father?”

“He just went out to get some supplies,” his mother assured, rubbing his head. “He’ll be back soon.”

Joshua smiled at his mother, and then his stomach growled, making his face flush with embarrassment.

This made Ellie laugh. “Hungry, huh? C’mon, let’s go get something.”

“Good idea,” the silverette hastily agreed, and then climbed out of bed to go down and get some food with his mother.

As Ellie worked on breakfast, humming as she did, Joshua couldn’t get the howl from the night before.

“Mother? Were you scared by that howling last night?” Joshua asked softly.

At those words, Ellie looked over in slight surprise, before she frowned softly. “It’s… been a while since I’ve heard an okami howl…” she admitted. “But as long as we remain in the village, we will be safe. Okami never venture into the villages. Never.”

“Really? Why not?” the teen inquired, genuinely curious.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But for whatever reason, they choose not to come here. And we should be thankful they don’t… Very few can withstand an okami attack, even if it’s only one of them.”

“Oh…” Joshua uttered, not sure what else to say. He hoped that okami from last night didn’t choose to enter the village for some reason, or else they would be dead.

“And here we go,” Ellie said with a smile as she brought over their breakfast.

“Thank you, Mother,” Joshua smiled back, and then began to eat.

As Ellie sat down as well, the door opened. “Ah, there’s your father.”

“Hey guys,” Noboru greeted, ruffling Joshua’s hair lightly as he passed and kissing his wife. “I see you’re finally up,” he chuckled as he looked at Joshua.

“I couldn’t sleep that well last night, and then the howling started,” the teen pouted.

“Give him some slack, love,” Ellie teased. “That was his first time hearing an okami, after all.”

“Fair enough,” Noboru relented. “So, did you sleep good after the howling ended, Joshua?”

“Yeah, thank god,” his son replied, relieved. “So, what are we doing today?”

“Well, your father and I need to get started on our duties… so why don’t you go explore the village?” Ellie offered. “And maybe make some friends in the process.”

“Sounds good,” Joshua nodded, finishing his breakfast and cleaning his plate. He headed to his room to get dressed, and then came back to the dining room once he was. “I’ll see you later, then!” And with that said, he slipped on his sandals and headed outside to explore.

As Joshua moved around the village, he soon spotted a group of children about his own age, chatting and playing.

The silverette took a deep, calming breath, and then approached the group, a smile in place. “Hello,” he greeted politely.

The kids looked up in surprise at the words, before they each frowned in suspicion at him.

“Huh…? What do you want?”

“I’m just exploring the village, and I wanted to come and say hi,” Joshua told them, trying very hard to sound friendly without being too nervous. “I just moved here with my parents yesterday.”

“Yeah, well, whatever, we don’t--”

“Hi!” interrupted a small voice as a small girl with black hair secured in a bun atop her head toddled over from the back of the group. “I’m Kana! Nice to meet you!” she chirped.

“Nice to meet you, too, Kana,” Joshua smiled. “I’m Joshua.”

The girl giggled happily, before one of the other kids spoke up. “O-oy, Kana! Don’t go and mess with that guy!”

“Why not?” Kana said with an angry pout.

“Can’t you tell?! He’s a foreigner! You don’t go dealing with them!”

Joshua winced slightly when the kid called him a foreigner, and then sighed. Maybe he should just head back home…

“Why not?” Kana repeated. “I’ll talk to whoever I want! So _bleh!_ ”

“O-oy!”

 “Hey, Joshua!” Kana suddenly chirped as she turned to him. “I can show you around, if you want!”

The silverette blinked, surprised. Despite her earlier show of friendliness, he certainly hadn’t expected her to offer a tour of the village. Not that he didn’t appreciate it, of course. “Really? Thank you,” he smiled.

“C’mon let’s g let’s go!” she chirped, taking Joshua’s hand and tugging him after her, ignoring the other kids’ cries.

With an amused chuckle, Joshua allowed Kana to drag him along, showing him various places around the village. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad around here…

 

“Aaaand over there’s Tora’s shop! Tora always has really cool trinkets from the city!” Kana chirped happily as they were finishing off their guided tour.

Thus far they’d passed by the entire market place shop by shop, with Kana at the helm merrily. At first, none of the shopkeepers had seemed too keen of Joshua, but as soon as Kana piped up and introduced them, they at least made an effort to be civil. It was hard to say how much of that was forced, but at least no one was calling him names, which was a vast improvement over life in Edo.

“Thanks for showing me around, Kana,” the silverette told her gratefully as they finished the tour. “You’re a breath of fresh air compared to back in Edo.”

“Hehe! You’re welcome!” Kana said with a happy smile. “I don’t get why everyone says you’re bad… you’re really nice!”

“Thanks, that means a lot,” he smiled.

“OH!” the little girl suddenly exclaimed. “We almost forgot the best place! C’mon!”

And then Kana was back to dragging Joshua after her.

Joshua allowed himself to be tugged along, wondering absently where they were going. Not that he had to wonder for long, given the speed with which Kana was running.

 

After they left the market behind, Kana turned a left, toward a small, but quaint house. As they hurried around the house toward the backyard, Kana called out: “Papa! Papa!”

The shout made a man around Noboru’s age look up curiously from where he had been practicing archery, before a smile came over his face and he turned to catch Kana as she rushed for him. “Hello again, Kana,” he greeted pleasantly, kissing her forehead. “What brings you here so early?”

“I made a new friend, Papa!” Kana proclaimed proudly, before she tugged her father over.

The man chuckled as he turned to Joshua. Like all other people in the village, he had black hair, which fell down his back in a loose ponytail, and dark eyes. Unlike the other adults of the village, though, there was no sign of any dislike or distrust in said dark eyes. “Ah, I see… You must be Noboru’s son, right?”

“Yes, I’m Joshua, but how do you know my father?” Joshua inquired curiously.

“Haha. We used to work together back in Edo, and he’s told me plenty about yourself and Ellie,” the man explained. “My job got me here at one point and… well, I decided to stay here.” He paused briefly to ruffle Kana’s hair, making the girl giggle.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, sir,” the silverette smiled.

“Nice to meet you, as well, Joshua. But please, feel free to call me Kamui, alright?”

“Yes, Kamui,” the teen chuckled, smiling brightly at Kana.

“Well, let’s not keep standing here, shall we? Come,” Kamui urged, guiding the children to the porch, gesturing them to sit down. “So, tell me, Joshua; how are you liking Mino, so far?”

“It’s better than Edo, that much I can say,” the silverette answered as he sat on the porch.

“Hahah. I’m glad to hear that,” Kamui chuckled. “Most people from Edo nowadays would say otherwise, but I suppose they’re too used to the city life,”

Kana merely giggled cheerily.

“That’s true,” Joshua agreed. “So, what about the okami here? Have they ever attacked anyone here?”

At that, Kamui frowned a little, before he sighed. “Not in the village, no. There’s usually too many of us for the okami to deal with, so they leave us be… granted we do the same.”

“Some people have provoked them?” Joshua frowned, concerned.

“It’s happened, yes… but the okami will attack anyone in their territory, even if they’re just passing through,” Kamui explained. “No one really knows why… but they really don’t like us. Personally, though, I believe it may be because we’ve destroyed their homes before.”

“Then I don’t blame them, but still…” the teen murmured.

Kamui smiled at the worried look and said: “Don’t worry; just stay in the village, don’t go out after dark and stay with people, and you’ll be fine.”

“Okay, I will. Thanks, Kamui,” the silverette smiled.

“You’re welcome,” Kamui chuckled out.

Suddenly a scream pierced through the air. Joshua went numb at the sound, but jumped, highly startled, while Kana gave a startled cry and immediately latched onto her father.

“Damn…!” Kamui hissed out as he climbed to his feet, grabbing his bow and quiver. “Joshua, please go inside with Kana. Keep her safe, please.”

“But Papa…!”

“No, Kana! Stay with Joshua!”

“Come on, Kana,” Joshua urged, tugging the girl into the house with him.

The girl pouted, but she did as told and scampered after Joshua into the house, as Kamui darted off, with several other people running in the direction of the scream from earlier.

 

As Kamui joined the other men at the village gate, the blood drained from his face and his stomach roiled at the sight of the half disemboweled man that had somehow stumbled his way into town. When he stepped up to the body, he cursed softly. He was already dead, but there was no denying what had caused the damage; an okami.

And, already, people were panicking and speculating that it was finally happening; that the okami were finally attacking the villages and that they were all dead and that they needed to act.

“Everyone! Please, calm down!” Kamui shouted out then, but he needed to shout several times more before the people finally calmed down enough to listen to him. “Look closely; he’s not from the village, and his clothes indicate he’s possibly a ronin. Perhaps he chose to challenge the okami, thinking he could handle it, but there’s no way to tell.” After letting them digest this information for a moment, Kamui nodded. “The okami will likely not forget this offense, so we need to show them we do not harbor ill tidings or support this man’s actions, lest we invoke their wrath upon us and our families.”

Normally, he’d _never_ even suggest it, as he hated having to sacrifice anyone, but the guy was already dead, so there was nothing else they could do to protect themselves.

Once everyone had calmed somewhat, Kamui called out: “Shigure, Kaze, Noboru, would you mind helping me with this?”

“Of course,” Noboru nodded, and went to help his old friend.

Once Shigure and Noboru had a hold of the corpse’s arms and legs, Kamui armed his bow while Kaze brought his hand to his katana and they moved out of the village as one entity. Kamui and Kaze kept a careful eye on the surroundings, while Noboru and Shigure focused solely on carrying the body between them.

“…here should be fine…” Kamui murmured finally as they stopped, and Noboru and Shigure put the body down. “Okay… now… slow movements back to the village… everyone face a direction and keep close…”

Noboru gave a slow nod and faced to the west, as Shigure murmured a quiet affirmative and faced east. Kamui faced north, and Kaze faced south, and then, slowly, they began moving back the way they’d come. The area around them was almost deathly silent, and that was disturbing in and of itself. In normal situations, there would be birds, bugs, or just the wind whistling through the trees, but the silence was deafening.

Noboru kept his hearing strained for any sort of warning or sign that an okami might attack, praying to the Gods that nothing would befall them.

However, just then, there was a loud crack from the forest to the north, and they all froze.

And as they heard the rumbling growl, Kamui hissed: “Run, _NOW!!_ ”

Noboru bolted for the village, running as fast as he could to safety and Shigure was right behind him, but Kaze and Kamui trailed behind, with Kamui firing arrows and Kaze’s hand on the hilt of his blade as they ran, before they, too, turned and bolted.

And shortly behind them followed the heavy thuds of equally heavy paws slamming against the ground behind them, followed by the furious growls of the beast now hot on their heels. They passed by the village gate, and though the guards struggled to close the gates, the beast kept coming.

“Don’t stay there! _Run!!_ ” Kamui cried back to the guards -- too late as screams filled the air as the guards fell to the swift, vicious swipes from the beast. “Shit! Split up! Noboru! With me! Quick!!”

The man nodded once, and darted to join Kamui. The two men ran swiftly, finally reaching Kamui’s house, and then dashed inside, slamming the door shut behind them. “Dammit!!” Kamui hissed icily.

“Father? Kamui? What’s going on?” Joshua asked in a panic. Noboru was unable to answer, terrified for Eleanora, who was still at their house.

“Noboru, calm yourself. Your house is at the far end of the village,” Kamui said, likely realizing what Noboru was thinking. “It shouldn’t dare go that far… the further in it goes, the more people there are, so it should leave before ever getting that far.”

“…Papa?” Kana asked in a small, squeaky voice.

Joshua whimpered, worried for their own safety, and he hoped the okami wouldn’t dare to venture too far into the village. Noboru, on the other hand, was trying to calm down, but was still worried about his family’s safety.

“To the living room, quietly…” Kamui whispered softly, and the small group moved swiftly but quietly to the room in question.

Once there, Kamui made the children hide in a hidden crevice near the wall, close by the kitchen if they needed an escape route, and then passed Noboru a katana. “Just in case…” he murmured softly, preparing his own.

Noboru nodded to his friend, determined to protect his family and that of his friend from that damned okami outside.

For several long, tense minutes, Kamui and Noboru merely stood there, standing between their children and the world outside, as they breathed softly and listened to the noises from outside, though most of the screams had now faded and it was mostly just the crashing of the okami tearing the place apart.

Kana whimpered as she cuddled up against Joshua, shivering. Joshua held his new friend close, hoping to keep her quiet, lest the okami find them.

Just then, a heavy, deep growling noise from outside the house made them freeze, as the noises outside died down. However, the shadow that fell over the screen doors was what made them still entirely.

The beast was huge; standing as tall as a man when on four legs, and said legs were thick and powerful, adorned by equally large claws, as it moved through the garden outside, pacing as though searching for something.

Joshua stifled a whimper as he watched the okami pacing, terrified of its large, powerful form. Kana bit her lip to stifle her own whimper, hiding her face in the boy’s chest. Kamui said nothing, but he slightly tightened his grip on his katana, keeping his gaze aimed at the large shadow. Noboru was silent as well, glaring icily at the shadow as he adjusted his grip on his katana.

For a long time, the beast continued to prowl outside, growling loudly, before it stilled.

Joshua and Noboru tensed, noticing the okami’s sudden stilling. Kamui softly shushed them, crouching a little down in preparation.

And then… the beast turned and bounded off.

Joshua breathed a soft sigh of relief, and even Noboru relaxed slightly. Kana finally dared to look up again, glancing from one person to the next.

“…is it over?” she asked softly.

“I think so,” Joshua murmured.

Kamui said nothing, however, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Noboru noticed this, and tensed up again, making Joshua nervous.

“…Joshua, take Kana to the kitchen, now!!”

The silverette nodded, and hastily picked up Kana and quickly carried her into the kitchen.

And the moment he did that, the entrance was torn down with a loud, cracking noise from the front of the house, followed by a guttural roar, as the beast smashed its way into the house.

“Dammit!!” Kamui snarled out, taking out his katana.

Noboru slashed at the beast, livid that it would threaten them like this. “ _Get back, beast!!_ ” he shouted, slashing its shoulder.

The okami roared as the metal bit into its shoulder, dodging the next swipe from Noboru, which left him open for Kamui’s slash. However, just as swiftly, it snapped out its massive claw, knocking Noboru’s weapon from his hand while at the same time slicing the back of the appendage open. With a pained yell, Noboru clutched his hand as it bled profusely.

“Noboru!!” Kamui cried out, before he swiftly jumped in to slice at the beast, only for it to instantly dart away, stopping just short of the kitchen. “Crap!!” Kamui hissed out as he lunged after the beast and lashed out again. However, as the beast dodged again, it slammed its tail against Kamui, knocking him back -- right before kicking him with a hind leg, tearing through his side.

“PAPA!!”

Joshua struggled to hold onto the flailing girl in his arms, tears of terror streaming down his face at the sight.

As both Noboru and Kamui lay there, the large beast snapped its gaze over toward the kids as the girl screamed a second time -- and then its dark blue gaze locked onto Joshua’s terrified ones and the world froze for an instant.

The silverette whimpered, fearful for his life as he kept the okami’s gaze despite his own fear.

For a long moment, the beast kept the boy’s gaze, before a furious growling noise came from its throat, as it narrowed its eyes dangerously.

“J…Joshua…! Run…! Get out of here!” Kamui shouted.

Panicking, the silverette scrambled to the back door, dragging Kana along with him as he bolted outside, desperate to get away.

However, the beast was right behind him, deserting both Noboru and Kamui as they nursed their wounds and struggled to pick up their weapons again. As the human teen ran, the beast rushed for him and then knocked the kids to the ground almost violently by shoving its head into their backs. Kana screamed in fright and pain as she was sent rolling over the ground, ending up furthest away from the okami by sheer luck.

Joshua, however, was now right in the beast’s path, and he could only watch the okami with pure terror on his face as tears streamed down his cheeks and he tried to scramble back. However, the beast followed right after, growling viciously, and the only thought going through Joshua’s mind was that he was going to die. The okami had already seemed huge as a shadow against the sliding doors, but now, towering above the teen, he seemed so much larger, its reddish-brown fur streaked with white and black and its eyes seeming to glow a dark, furious blue, so much that Joshua feared it would burn away his very soul.

Snarling furiously, the beast stalked further at him, its claws scraping at the ground. And then it snapped its jaws forward.

The teen screamed as it happened, but when he felt no pain, he realized that the okami had, in fact, grabbed him by his kimono by hooking its fangs in the cloth, before it lifted him up effortlessly. The okami didn’t spend a moment more standing there, before it took off running, Joshua’s kimono still held firmly between its teeth as it went, completely ignoring Kana’s terrified scream of Joshua’s name.

Joshua had no idea what was going on, as he held on to the okami’s muzzle, praying he wouldn’t be dropped by the okami when going at this speed. He had never heard of an okami kidnapping anyone before, so why was this one taking him? And, possibly more importantly, where was he being taken?


	4. New Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was certainly not how Joshua had expected to spend his first day away from Edo...

The beast darted back and forth between the trees of the forest, until, finally, it leapt up a series of rocky outcroppings, which led to, oddly enough, a house surrounded by a wide garden of cherry blossom trees. The beast immediately stalked up to the house, shoved the door open with its head, and then threw Joshua halfway across the first room and onto the mess of pillows in the back.

Joshua watched the okami warily once he recovered from the harsh toss, unsure of what was going on or why he had even been brought here.

After kicking the door shut, the beast snarled angrily for a moment, before it released what sounded like a furious sigh. Once it appeared to have calmed itself somewhat, it began to shake itself as if trying to get dry after being soaked -- which caused its entire visage to shift as it rose up to its hind legs. And the sight made the silverette’s violet eyes widen in shock, despite the fear he still felt.

Where there had once stood a massive lupine beast, there now stood a young man that had to be a few years Joshua’s senior, with spiked, reddish orange hair that was the exact color that the okami’s fur had been, only his ears were those of a wolf and the same kind of tail came from his backside, and the clothes he wore were simple and practical (though he was lacking shoes, as he did have claws on his feet).

After a moment more of simply standing there, the man ran a hand through his hair in frustration, before turning to Joshua with a positively livid expression on his face. This made the teen flinch harshly, terrified of the rage coming off the man in waves.

“…this is your fault…” he suddenly snarled out. “This is **_ALL_** _YOUR FAULT!!_ ”

“What?” Joshua squeaked, terrified.

“I was doing so well…! I was doing _SO_ well!! And you just HAD to come in and ruin EVERYTHING!!”

“What are you talking about?” the silverette asked in a scared voice.

The redhead snarled furiously, his sharp fangs poking out over his lip. “What I’m TALKING about, is you locking eyes with me, asshole!! Do you have ANY idea what you’ve caused now?!”

“No, I _don’t_! Otherwise I wouldn’t be asking!” Joshua snapped back, irritated by the insult. What was this guy’s problem?!

The redhead snarled angrily as he pushed the palms of his hands against his eyes, his ears pushing back angrily. “What-fuckin’-EVER! I need to lay off steam, and I suggest you do NOT move!” the redhead roared finally, before he went out the door, slamming it shut behind him again.

Joshua let out an irritated huff at the “disgruntled” redhead’s anger, but stayed where he was regardless. After all, this okami wasn’t going to kill him, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t HURT him.

After Joshua had settled somewhat, he decided to try and figure out just where he had been brought, and slowly began to explore the house. The architecture of the building was different than what he was used to seeing from the buildings in the village, but it looked sturdy enough, nonetheless. It was also fairly basic; it really only had the single, giant room with the stack of pillows on the far side, a kitchen to the north side that was big enough that you could probably fit a bear in there, and an even larger bathroom… if you could call it that. It really was more of an outdoor lake.

The silverette sighed though, and then sat back down on the pillows, waiting for the okami to return.

 

However, said okami stayed away for at least an hour, before he finally returned, dragging a dead pheasant behind him. As he walked in, Joshua didn’t say anything initially, not wanting to anger the okami further than he already had (though he still didn’t know or understand _why_ ). He merely stayed where he was, waiting.

The okami grumbled something under his breath as he stalked into the kitchen. The smaller male watched, frowning, and then shook his head in disbelief. He still didn’t know why the okami had kidnapped him, let alone was so angry about it. And given how he was acting, he wouldn’t have an answer for a long time.

The man soundlessly began to work on plucking the feathers from the bird, though a bit more forcefully than he likely should be.

Finally, Joshua couldn’t take any more of the silence. “Hey,” he called out.

The okami’s ear snapped up at that and he glanced back briefly, before turning back to what he was doing. “…hm.”

“Can you at least tell me your name?” the silverette asked when there was no further response.

“…Neku.”

“Neku, huh? I like it,” Joshua murmured. “Mine’s Joshua.”

“…whatever…” the okami mumbled as he grabbed a knife and worked on separating the meat from the pheasant’s bones with the finesse that Joshua had seen butchers practice often enough in Edo.

“So, what did you mean earlier, that I ruined everything? And how come you took me?” the smaller male asked, finally.

However, instead of answering, Neku snapped his hand (with the knife) to Joshua without looking over. “…I suggest you NOT ask me that anymore today… lest I do something I might regret.”

Joshua flinched when the knife was pointed at him. “Point taken.”

Satisfied with that response, Neku finished what he’d been doing and, after storing the meat away for the moment, sighed and headed for the ‘bathroom’ silently.

The teen had no idea what to do, and, despite acting somewhat casual with Neku, he was still fearful of making the redhead even angrier, perhaps even angry enough to get physical.

“…oy…”

Joshua perked up, looking at the okami warily.

“…you should wash up… you smell…”

Furrowing his brows in confusion, Joshua got up and headed to the ‘bathroom’ with Neku, wondering how he could stink.

Neku didn’t look up as he tugged his shirt off, briefly shaking his head, before he stepped into the lake. The silverette swallowed nervously, and slid off his kimono as the okami stepped further in. He then stepped into the water as well, pleasantly surprised by the temperature. It was surprisingly warm, despite it being out in the open.

Neku regarded the teen for a moment, but he said nothing else as he waded further into the lake until the water reached his waist, at which point he lowered himself to his knees.

Joshua stood at the edge with his ankles the deepest his gone, not wanting to piss off Neku by disturbing him.

“…are you getting in yet or what?!”

“Sorry…” Joshua whispered, and waded in further, copying the redhead’s actions from before by kneeling when the water was to his waist.

Neku merely snorted as he cupped the water in his hands and splashed his own face, silently beginning to wash himself. After a moment of hesitations, the silverette did the same, just at a slower pace so as not to upset the okami further.

Said okami, though, chose to completely ignore the human teen, instead focusing on washing his hair, breathing deeply, possibly to try and keep himself calm. Noticing this, Joshua edged himself away from Neku a little, still running water through his hair.

If Neku noticed, then he certainly didn’t mention it. And instead, he took a deep breath, and then dropped backwards into the water without a word.

The smaller male jumped slightly, startled by the sudden splash, and then exhaled shakily before continuing to wash himself.

After a moment more, the okami came back up, taking a deep gulp of air, before exhaling quietly, seemingly much calmer than he had been earlier.

And when he realized that, Joshua breathed a soft sigh of relief at that.

Finally, though, Neku rose to his feet and silently walked back to the house. And Joshua hastily finished cleaning himself, and then scurried after Neku, but kept a slight distance between them to be safe.

Once they were back in the house, Neku soundlessly dropped on one side of the stack of pillows, where he proceeded to curl up, shutting his eyes as he did. Quietly, the smaller teen laid down on the other side of the pillow stack, and curled into a ball before shutting his own eyes and attempting to sleep.

 

“Noboru! Calm down!!” Kamui said as he stopped his friend from running off blindly.

“That fucking beast has my son!!” Noboru roared furiously, struggling to continue his pursuit.

“I know, Noboru, I know! But running off blindly will only serve to get you killed!” Kamui pointed out.

Ellie wasn’t even able to speak, she was still sitting at the table, sobbing while Kana was trying to cheer her up again.

“SON OF A BITCH!!!” Noboru snarled furiously, slamming his fist in the wall hard enough to leave a dent in the wood.

“Oh for…!” Kamui hissed, before he pulled his friend back -- and then punched him to his jaw. “CALM DOWN!”

Noboru fell back, stunned by the blow, but it served its purpose. He began to tremble with fear and worry for his son, terrified that the okami would do something horrible to him. The last thing he wanted was for Joshua to suffer because he couldn’t protect him.

“Are you calm now?” the other man asked as he crouched down by his friend.

“Enough to feel the terror he’s probably feeling,” the man sighed.

Kamui sighed as well, sitting back for a moment. “…I don’t think he’ll be killed soon,” Kamui murmured softly.

“What do you mean?” Noboru asked, frowning.

“Think about it; the okami are known to kill humans in their reach immediately,” Kamui pointed out. “If this one decided to take Joshua, then there must’ve been a reason for it… I can’t imagine it killing him after going through the trouble to take him.”

“Still… He’s got to be scared,” Noboru muttered.

“I know… but if we’re going to get him back, we need to think of a plan. Preferably one that doesn’t get any of us killed.”

“You’re right,” Noboru nodded, going over to his wife and taking her hand in his. “We’ll get him back, though, no matter what.”

Ellie sniffled and moved over to hug her husband.

Kana pouted unhappily, before she hurried to her dad’s side. “Papa…”

“It’ll be okay, Kana,” Kamui promised, pulling his daughter into a hug as well. “I promise; everything will be fine.”

“Kay…”


	5. The Road Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes an explanation only serves to bring about more and more questions than it provides answer.

As his consciousness returned to him, a tantalizing scent filled his nose. Joshua blinked his eyes open, and then sat up with a small groan before yawning widely.

Once he was a little more awake, Joshua quickly caught sight of Neku standing in the kitchen. The okami was completely engrossed in whatever he appeared to be cooking, not even seeming to notice that Joshua had woken up.

The silverette sighed softly, this behavior of the redhead’s reminding him of life back in Edo, where he was either ignored or insulted, the latter being the most common. As he glanced outside, he noticed that the sun was setting, meaning he had slept for barely a few hours.

Just then, the redhead turned around, possibly to go grab something, and blinked when he saw he was awake. “…oh, you’re up…” he mumbled softly.

“Morning…” the smaller male murmured, turning away slightly.

Neku didn’t say anything else, as he walked to the cabinet and pulled out a few things, before he went back to his cooking. “…you’re not a veggie, are you?”

“No…”

“Good.” Satisfied with that answer, Neku continued what he was doing.

Feeling more than a little put out with Neku’s short sentences and statements, Joshua laid back down, facing away from the okami. He knew the redhead hated him for something he was completely unaware of, and that made him feel worse.

“Here,” Neku said suddenly, putting down a bowl of what appeared to be ramen in front of the boy.

Surprised, Joshua looked at Neku briefly, before beginning to eat some of the ramen. He soon stopped, however, not really feeling hungry.

Neku looked up from where he was sitting, eating his own ramen, a small frown on his face. “…you should eat.”

“…I’m not hungry,” the silverette mumbled, feeling depression practically crashing over him in waves.

“…just eat.”

Joshua turned himself away from Neku, tears stinging in his eyes now. Seriously, did Neku just expect him to accept this?

“…oy…”

“…what.”

“…you need to eat. Much as you don’t like to.”

The smaller male ignored him, the tears silently running down his cheeks.

“Oh for fuck’s sake…” Neku groaned, rubbing his forehead.

THAT set Joshua off. “What the hell’s wrong with you?! You kidnap me, blame me for I-don’t-know-what, and now you suddenly care enough to insist that I eat!! I HATE THIS!!!” he shouted, his violet eyes blazing at Neku as he glared.

“Well EXCUSE ME for not fucking KILLING you instead!” Neku returned angrily. “But whether you like it or not, we’re STUCK like this from now on!!”

“What are you talking about?!” Joshua demanded, angry tears in his eyes now.

“Because we’re BONDED, alright?! THAT’S WHAT!!”

“What?” the smaller male frowned, his anger simmering down to confusion. “What do you mean, ‘bonded’?”

The redhead sighed heavily as he held a hand to his head, rubbing his temples in annoyance. “What I MEAN, is that you are bonded to me, as I am to you! Short version; ALL okami bond to a single human, and once they have, they’re stuck for life. Literally; if you die, so do I, and vice versa.”

Joshua paled at the words, having never heard of such a thing. When he finally found his voice again, he muttered bitterly: “And so you pretty much hate me for something that couldn’t be helped… Great…”

Neku snorted softly, downing the last of the broth, before he slammed the bowl down again. “…fuck… I’m such an IDIOT…” he snarled, though the words were mostly to himself as he put his hands to his head and leaned on his knees quietly.

The silverette sighed shakily, turning away from the okami again. He desperately wished to be home right now, despite having only lived there a short time. He wanted to be with his family, but right now, his parents were more than likely worried sick about him, if they didn’t already think he was dead. But at least there was one thing he could agree with the redhead on. “Yeah, you are an idiot.”

“Yeah, just rub it in why don’t ya?” Neku snarled out angrily, before he vaulted up and headed out toward the lake silently. “Just fuckin’ finish your breakfast. I’m not in the mood to die coz someone decided to starve themselves to death!”

Joshua snorted, but heeded Neku’s advice anyway, picking up his bowl and beginning to eat again.

 

Once he had finished his food, he followed Neku outside, having nothing better to do, really. And after a moment of looking around, he soon spotted the okami, laying at the edge of the lake, one of his hands drawing lazy circles along the surface with his nails.

Watching Neku, the teen began to feel almost bad for how he had acted earlier. After all, the redhead had provided him food and shelter, and he repaid him by being a little shit. Even though the okami was just trying to ensure their survival, he could just as well have made Joshua sleep on the floor instead of the cushions, and given him cold ramen instead of a warm bowl of it. Joshua went over to Neku, and seated himself beside the okami. After a few minutes, he spoke up.

“Sorry…”

Neku glanced over briefly, before he turned his expression back to the water with a small hum. His tail absently flicked at the air to knock a fly away, but other than that, he didn’t say anything.

Clearing his throat nervously, Joshua continued. “I shouldn’t have acted the way I had earlier… I’m thankful that you’re at least being hospitable, so… thank you,” he murmured.

“…hmm…” Neku hummed softly. However, after a moment more… “…you’re welcome… I guess…”

This was enough to make Joshua blush slightly, feeling almost embarrassed. “Well, you’re not treating me like complete shit, so I AM grateful,” he explained, wringing the material of his kimono in his hands anxiously.

Neku didn’t respond to the words. At least, not immediately.

After a moment, he sat up again. “…it’s fine, already…”

Joshua nodded as he studied the redhead’s features. When he was relaxed like this, it was easy to find him almost… attractive.

Just then, Neku’s ear twitched up and he blinked several times. With a frown, he rose to a crouch, sniffing at the air as his ears flicked back and forth.

Concerned, Joshua watched, not daring to ask what was going on just yet.

“…get inside…” Neku hissed softly as he placed his hands along the ground slowly.

The silverette nodded, and hastily scrambled into the house, fearful of the impending danger Neku sensed.

Once Joshua was inside and had closed the door behind him (leaving a small crack so he could peek outside), Neku shifted back into his wolf form, his hackles raised as he bared his fangs, turning in the direction of the scent and noise. After a moment more, he took off like an arrow released from a bow -- dodging an actual arrow that would’ve hit him otherwise.

The okami moved swiftly, his paws slamming against the ground hard enough to leave small aftershocks that shook the ground and propelled him forward with speeds to rival if not outrun a grown horse. And in mere moments, the beast slammed his shoulder into a nearby tree.

“WHOAAAAAA!?” came a startled yowl as someone fell from the tree, hitting the ground backfirst. The man swiftly scrambled up, trying to back up and reach for the weapon he’d dropped.

Unfortunately, Neku was faster.

With a furious roar, Neku’s nails tore through the man’s back and he howled in pain, right before Neku snapped his jaws shut on his waist, teeth digging through both cloth and skin and making the man scream in agony as the okami shook the human about, as if he was little more than a chewtoy.

Joshua couldn’t watch anymore, and he turned away, terrified.

There were a few more moments of terrified/pained screams, before there was a loud crack… and then there was silence. The teen whimpered, knowing the man was now dead. Even though he’d entered okami territory like a fool, Joshua knew the man shouldn’t have had to die so painfully.

After a long moment, a soft knock came from the doorway. “Oy… you can come out now.”

Joshua obeyed, coming out of the house without looking at Neku.

“…what now?” Neku sighed out heavily, hand on his hip.

“…couldn’t you have made his death less sufferable?” the silverette mumbled, looking at the okami.

“…what? You think he was going to let me die swiftly if he’d gotten hold of me?” Neku snarled softly. “Do you even know what they do to us when they get hold of us?”

“N…no… I lived in Edo before we moved, and we never encountered okami there,” Joshua told him.

“Well let me inform you,” Neku hissed as he moved his face right up to Joshua’s. “They skin us alive, ‘s what they do.”

The smaller male paled, and he quickly whimpered out, “I-I had no idea… I’m sorry…” He then noticed the blood on Neku’s cheek, and added, “Y…you’ve got some blood on your face…”

“…huh?” Neku blinked, before he moved back and reached for his face. However, his hand moved right past the blotch of blood.

“No… Here,” Joshua murmured, and wet his thumb before swiping off the blood from Neku’s face.

Neku actually flinched at the contact, but he held still as Joshua wiped away the blood. “…thanks…”

“You’re welcome,” the smaller male mumbled shyly. “I’m sorry I said what I did earlier… I had no clue people do that to okami…”

“…yeah, funny how they leave out what THEY do to us, but do all they can to paint us in a bad light…” Neku grumbled angrily, turning his head away.

Joshua sighed. “If it helps, at least I understand now…”

Neku merely hummed, his tail snapping out at the air angrily, before he looked down at his clothes and lifted the cloth, sniffing a few times. “…dammit…” he hissed, as he headed back inside. “Hate when my stuff smells like blood…”

The smaller male trailed after him, hoping Neku’s anger would dissipate sooner rather than later.

The redhead moved to a wall and, after a moment of reaching out, he tugged it open, revealing a hidden closet filled with various different clothes.

The silverette blinked, surprised at the sight of the hidden closet. However, he didn’t have long to think about it as Neku pulled his clothes off swiftly, tossing them onto the ground and reaching for some clean clothes.

This drew a heated blush to Joshua’s face as he saw the redhead’s nude body. He quickly looked away, but still had the image imprinted in his mind. When he finally looked back again, it was in time to see Neku tugging the shirt down… right over a large scar spanning most of his back and right side.

Joshua stifled a small gasp, drawing Neku’s attention to him. “What… what made that scar?” he asked in a whisper.

“Whuh…?” Noticing where his attention was drawn, Neku’s expression darkened. “…men happened…”

“I…I’m so sorry…” the teen breathed, tears forming in his eyes. He felt so bad for the redhead; he shouldn’t need to go through that sort of pain.

“…forget it…” Neku mumbled softly, before he pulled out some clothes and turned to Joshua, holding a piece of fabric against his chest. After a moment, he nodded quietly and wordlessly tossed it at the silver-haired teen as he went back to the closet. “That should fit, I suppose…”

“Thank you,” Joshua murmured as he caught the clothes. Hoping the redhead wouldn’t care, he changed into the new clothes, blushing slightly the whole time.

The redhead, of course, didn’t seem to care. However, he did frown slightly. “…you’re not getting sick, are you?”

“No, I’m not,” Joshua replied quickly.

“Then why’s your face red?” Neku questioned as he moved in and placed a hand to Joshua’s forehead, nails resting lightly against the teen’s temple.

The smaller male forced himself to remain still under the okami’s touch, feeling embarrassed.

After a moment, Neku pulled his hand back again. “…better not actually be getting sick… I dun feel like getting sick, either…”

“I’m not getting sick, I promise,” Joshua assured him.

“Uh-huh…”

Suddenly, a howl echoed from outside, making Neku’s ears snap up as he turned toward the window in surprise.

“Who… who is it?” the teen asked worriedly.

“…” Neku didn’t respond immediately as he instead headed for the doorway, ears homing in on the howling. As the sound began to end, though, Neku breathed in and then howled, tilting his head slightly up and down, the sound shifting with every motion. And Joshua merely watched, curious.

Neku finally paused, and flicked his ears toward the source of the other howl as a second howl followed his own. “…oh fuck…”

“What?”

“…the elder’s not doing well… we need to go.”

“Will… will anyone try anything if I go?” Joshua asked him worriedly.

“No,” Neku assured with a shake of his head. “But we need to make it clear you’re with me…” he murmured, heading back inside and rummaging through the closet again.

Joshua watched as Neku searched for something, wondering what would show he was Neku’s bonded… as Neku seemed to refer to it.

After a moment of searching, Neku finally moved back, closing the closet again as he walked over to Joshua. After stepping up to him, he secured a dark ribbon around his neck quietly. “There.”

“Just… let me stay close, please,” the teen pleaded softly. Despite the ribbon, one of the other okami could simply play dumb or turn a blind eye to the ribbon and attack him regardless, which scared the silverette.

Neku nodded quietly as he led Joshua outside. Once he had closed the door, he lowered himself, shifting into his full okami form again. After a moment of shaking his fur out, he moved even lower, enough so that Joshua could climb on top of his back. Despite his initial worry, Joshua did as he was wordlessly told, climbing onto the large lupine’s back and hunkering down against Neku’s neck.

Once he was in place, Neku rose up to his feet and began to walk off, before he gradually picked up his pace, until finally he was rushing through the woods so fast that the trees whizzed by in a blur. Joshua buried his face into Neku’s fur so he wouldn’t freak out from how fast they were going.

Neku didn’t seem to notice this, or if he did, he didn’t show that he did. Instead, he kept his gaze focused ahead of him as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

 

Kamui sighed softly, running a hand through his hair, before he reached out and knocked on the door.

Noboru answered the door, smiling wearily when he saw his friend. “Hello, Kamui,” he greeted kindly.

Kamui nodded in greeting, briefly looking around the other man. “Is Ellie alright?”

“She’s…in the bedroom, crying… This is really taking a toll on her. I spent most of the night trying to comfort her,” the man admitted.

“I can imagine…” Kamui sighed. “May I come in?”

“Of course.” And with that said, Noboru stepped aside, allowing Kamui in.

Kamui nodded as he stepped inside, slipping out from his shoes before he followed Noboru into the living room. As they settled at the table, Kamui gave a soft sigh.

“…the council said no.”

“Then maybe we should go after him on our own,” Noboru suggested, glaring at the floorboards in frustration.

“Noboru, you and I both know we’d never be able to take on the okami on our own,” Kamui pointed out. “Plus, you heard the howls a moment ago, right?”

“But I can’t just sit here and do nothing!” the man exclaimed angrily.

“Calm down, Noboru!” the other father said firmly. “I know, and I’m not saying we shouldn’t… I’m merely saying that we can’t do this alone.”

“Then what do we do?” Noboru asked, looking at Kamui despairingly.

Kamui sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know… but trust me… I’m not going to let your son end like Azura.”

“What happened to Azura?” he frowned.

Kamui sighed softly, shaking his head. “We were on the road back from Edo, but one of the okami ambushed us… we lost sight of her in the commotion, but…” The man paused to take a deep breath. “I’ve never really forgiven myself for letting her down like I did…”

Noboru placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It was an accident, Kamui. I’m sure she doesn’t blame you.”

“I know… she wouldn’t… she’s too nice for that… but still… I just… can’t let it go…”

“We’ll find her and Joshua, if that’s the case,” Noboru told him determinedly.

“Right…” Kamui agreed with a nod. “It’s the least we can do.”


	6. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua meets someone sharing his fate, while Neku meets with the council.

Gradually, Neku slowed his mad dash, until he was leisurely padding through the forest, easily maneuvering around the trees as the forest grew thicker and darker. Joshua shivered lightly, hunkering down into Neku’s fur a bit as the evening chill nipped at him.

Neku moved carefully, hopping up and along the rocks of a nearby stream, before he paused briefly at the sound of a twig snapping, looking over to the side curiously. When he spotted a large creature off to the side, watching him curiously, the okami let loose a small bark, before pressing on. The other okami followed from its own path, and followed along the same path, until they came to a wide clearing.

At the end of the clearing, there stood a large, majestic temple, and a large pack of okami was steadily filling the clearing.

Joshua watched this as they entered the area, peeking up from Neku’s neck fur.

Neku paused for a brief moment, seeming to think on the matter, before he pressed on, as the other okami shifted into their own human forms. Currently, they only had eyes for the temple, so the redhead decided to stick to the back for the time being. As he finally stopped, he looked back over his shoulder toward Joshua. Said human gave Neku a reassuring nod, silently telling him he was nervous, but okay.

Neku returned it quietly, before he moved after the other okami as they began to head up the stairs, single file. As he reached the bottom, Neku lowered himself down to let Joshua get off.

The silverette slid off from the okami’s back, and looked about curiously, his violet eyes wide with intrigue.

“C’mon,” Neku murmured after shifting into human form. “We have to go,” he urged, beginning to rapidly ascend the stairs to the temple. The okami’s bond was quick to follow, keeping pace with Neku.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Neku took a deep breath in preparation, before he stepped in, with Joshua following close behind.

The first room they stepped foot in was a large, wide room centered around a large, intricate fountain, with dozen of koi carps swimming along lazily in its clear pool, as a wonderful mosaic laid spread out across the floor, with the fountain at its very center.

Neku breathed out slowly. “…wow… how long has it been…?”

“I take it it’s changed since you’ve been here?” Joshua asked softly.

“No… it’s just… been a long time since I’ve been here…” Neku admitted.

“Really? Well, that’s kind of a good thing though, right?” the smaller male guessed.

“I suppose…” Neku admitted with a half shrug, before he watched as the other okami moved further into the temple. “Right… may ‘s well…” he mumbled, starting to follow after them.

Joshua followed, sticking close to Neku like glue.

However, as soon as Neku made to step into the room, two naginatas suddenly came up and blocked Joshua’s passage. “Not one more step, human!” one of the okami-guards snarled.

“Oy!” Neku exclaimed as he whirled on the guards. “He’s with me! Lay off!”

Joshua whimpered as the guards blocked him, not wanting to be separated from Neku.

“No humans beyond this point! As are the rules!”

“Guys, come ON! Can’t you make an exception this one time?!” Neku asked.

“Absolutely not!” said the other guard. “We do this once, and they’ll expect us to it every time! No humans beyond this point!”

Joshua whimpered quietly in fear of being alone.

“Shit…!” Neku hissed in annoyance. He was obviously equally unenthused about the whole situation, but what could he really do? “Joshua, just… just stay by the fountain, alright? I’ll be back as soon as I can. Promise.”

The silverette nodded, tears forming in his eyes now that he knew Neku was leaving.

“I’ll come back for you, I swear,” Neku reiterated firmly, before a roar-like cry from behind him made him spin around in surprise. After a brief curse, he turned back to Joshua. “Just wait by the fountain and I’ll be back soon!”

Having said that, Neku spun on his heel and quickly darted off as another roar came from down the hall.

Feeling almost empty now, Joshua went to wait by the fountain like Neku had told him to, starting to cry. He didn’t want to be alone, and Neku’s absence made him feel hollow.

After a few long moments that seemed endless to Joshua, he was startled by a quiet voice. “Hey…”

As he looked up, his eyes met those of a young woman, maybe a few years younger than his mother with long, white hair, pale skin, and soft pinkish-red eyes. Unlike most of the other okami, she was dressed like a shrine maiden, and the lack of ears and tail hinted at her human origins.

“Are you hurt?” she asked kindly.

“N…no, I just… My bond had to leave without me…” the teen mumbled in answer.

“Ah… I see…” she murmured, before she gently plopped herself down in front of him on her knees. “You only just bonded, did you not?”

“Yeah, just today…” the silverette explained. “But even though we just bonded, he at least makes me feel safe…”

“I see…” the woman said softly, and though her expression changed very little, she did sound genuinely concerned for him. “The first few days are always the hardest. Forced to adjust to a new life so suddenly… with your life resting in the hands of the person who stole you away… it’s not easy, I know…” She paused then and reached out to rest her fingers on his knee. “Don’t worry; it will all work out in the end, I’m sure.”

“You’ve been through it yourself, huh?” Joshua asked.

The woman allowed a small smile. “I have… It was possibly one of the worst days of my life when my bond had to leave me that first time to hunt… He was gone for so long… and it hurt so bad… I almost ran out many times to chase him…” Her smile turned wistful then. “And when he returned, finally, I was beyond relieved… so much I cannot even begin to describe…”

“He makes me feel so secure when I’m with him, even though we barely know each other,” the teen admitted.

“It is in their blood, I believe,” the woman admitted. “Even if they hate us for what our kind has done, they will instinctively protect us from harm.”

“Still nice to feel safe and secure, though,” Joshua smiled slightly, and then he blinked. “Sorry, I never told you my name… I’m Joshua.”

The woman allowed a small giggle at the belated introduction. “Nice to meet you, Joshua. I am Azura.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Azura,” Joshua smiled. “How many others are there here right now?”

“Of us, you mean? Not so many; only a small handful of okami would take their bonded with them during meetings, as we are not permitted further into the temple,” Azura admitted. “Many do not see the need to bring us, as we will be waiting for them regardless of where we are.”

“Oh… So… Neku probably just should have left me back home, then…” the silverette mumbled.

“Neku…?” Azura repeated curiously. “Of the sakura field?”

“I guess, unless there are other Nekus…”

“Oh my…” Azura murmured. “That is… unexpected. I had not expected him to find his bonded so soon…”

“Is that bad?” Joshua asked worriedly.

“Oh! No, it isn’t ‘bad’… just… unexpected. That’s all.”

“Why is that?”

Azura didn’t respond immediately, but the small frown on her face made it obvious that she was uncertain what to say. “Neku has… a history with men… a bad one. That is all I am free to say on the matter. It is something you should hear from him when he feels ready to share it with you.”

“O-oh…” the silverette uttered, worried about his bonded okami. “He was really upset when he brought me back, to be honest. He wouldn’t even tell me why he kidnapped me until today because he was so mad…”

“That does not surprise me…” Azura murmured. “While I believe it is a fool’s errand to hold onto anger, Neku’s grudge is… well-justified.”

Joshua lowered his gaze, wondering what could have made Neku so hateful to humans. Hopefully, maybe, Joshua could help.

Azura just watched Joshua for a moment, before she stood up to settle beside him on the fountain’s edge, reaching out with her hand and letting her fingers trail across the water’s surface.

“Azura? How did you end up being bonded?” the teen inquired, looking at her.

Azura smiled softly. “Ah… I made the error of gazing into the woods during a journey with my brother. I caught the gaze of an okami, my bonded, and he took me with him then and there, as the okami always do.”

“Your brother? Who’s your brother?”

“Ah… I highly doubt you know him, Joshua,” Azura said with a soft smile. “Also… it’s been 7 years now… so I am not even certain if he still lives…”

“Well, still…” the teen mumbled.

Azura giggled. “Don’t worry so much, Joshua. It makes your face wrinkle…”

The silverette blushed. “Well, maybe I’ve heard of him through my father… He worked with many people before we left Edo.”

The woman merely smiled softly, before she yelped and pulled her hand out of the water. As Joshua looked over, it was just in time to see a small koi fall back into pool.

Joshua giggled at Azura’s surprise. “Guess they see your finger as food,” he smiled in amusement.

“Hihi… I suppose so,” she agreed as she regarded the koi quietly.

Joshua watched the koi for a few seconds as well, and then murmured: “Thank you, Azura.”

“You’re welcome,” Azura said with a warm smile. “I know what it’s like to be in your position. Just know that it gets easier as time goes on.”

“I’ll remember that,” he told her. “By the way, do you know what’s going on with the elder as to why all the okami have to be here in the first place?”

Azura sighed softly. “His health has been steadily getting worse over the past few years. Perhaps they believe it is almost his time…”

“What will happen if he passes?” the silverette frowned.

“Then his position will pass to his eldest, if he has bonded already. If not, it will go to the next who has.”

“Wait, bonded okami still have young? But what about their bond?”

“The bond is for life. It is a connection between a human and okami that will last until either of them passes away. At which point, their bonded will follow shortly after.”

“No, I mean, a bonded okami will still mate with another okami? Won’t that affect the bond?”

“What? Oh, no; bonded okami do not mate with other okami. Their only mate is their bonded. No other.”

“Then…how do they pass on their young?” Joshua asked, confused.

Azura giggled. “The same way we do, Joshua,” she said with an amused smile.

“But…what if they’re both males, like Neku and me?”

“Well… unfortunately, they will not be able to have a young on their own, of course. Personally, I’m not sure how it works, either… but I’m certain they have their ways.”

“Oh…” the silverette uttered, the hope of one day having a child crushed.

“What’s wrong?” Azura asked worriedly.

“I just… I kinda wanted to have a child someday,” Joshua admitted, blushing.

“I see…” Azura murmured, thoughtfully. She hummed a bit in thought, before she finally said: “I will ask Amane about it once the meeting ends. Perhaps he can explain how to make it work.”

“I take it Amane is your bonded?” he guessed.

“He is,” Azura confirmed.

“Would it be okay that you ask? I don’t want you to get in trouble…”

“Haha. Don’t worry; Amane is considerably more open to humans than Neku, though I’m certain that might change before long.”

“Why?”

“You would be surprised what a little time together will change. You just need to be patient.”

“Oh… I thought you meant Amane might become less open…” the silverette confessed, embarrassed. “Sorry… but I hope you’re right.”

Azura merely giggled. “It will be alright, Joshua. I promise.”

 

As Neku almost stumbled into the room, he threw a small half-glare at Hiroto -- the one responsible for the earlier roars/shouts -- before he sat down on the only spot still open, which was next to Amane, one of the older okami. Amane had long, black hair with white tips, and his eyes were a sharp yellow color, which had always drawn a lot of attention from others.

Amane briefly glanced over, before he turned his attention back ahead, as Ren, the elder’s eldest, stepped up to address the other okami.

“Everyone, thank you for coming on such short notice,” he spoke firmly. “As you can guess, Father’s health has taken a turn for the worst. It’s uncertain if he can recover from this, but he has requested us to be prepared in the event that death comes for him, nonetheless.”

The okami all nodded in understanding to the words.

“As you may know, I have not yet bonded at this point in time, and as such, I am unable to take over my father’s position. I cannot assure that I will be able to find my bonded before Father passes on, so in the event that I am unable to do so, the position will be given to my first brother, Amane, when the time comes as is the law.”

There were a few moments where the okami quietly conversed about the news of having Amane as their new alpha male, but Neku didn’t join in on the conversation. Instead, he regarded Amane from the corner of his eyes. The older okami didn’t respond, nor did he seem surprised at the news. If anything, he seemed to have already expected the words.

Once the okami had settled, Ren continued. “Now… before we all disperse, I believe it would be best to discuss a few matters regarding the humans invading our lands…”

‘Go figure…’ Neku snorted softly. ‘Ren can’t go _one_ meeting without bringing that up, huh?’

Despite that, though, he said nothing on the matter, and, like everyone else, merely listened and nodded on occasion.

 

After what felt like an eternity, the okami began to file out of the room silently, some of them immediately leaving the temple without a second glance, while others went a little slower, seemingly lost in thought. Joshua watched eagerly for Neku, hoping his bonded would emerge soon.

The redhead was one of the last ones to exit, however, alongside a long-haired okami with a solemn look on his face. As he stepped into the hall, Neku briefly looked around, before he spotted Joshua and briskly walked over.

“Hey,” the silverette greeted. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine…” Neku said softly with a nod.

Azura smiled at the other okami as he stepped up, and stood from her perch to walk to him. “Welcome back, Amane,” she said fondly.

“…Azura, why are you out here?” the okami murmured softly as she pressed herself up against him. “You should not be--”

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” she assured him. “I’ve merely been sitting here. Waiting.”

“I see…”

Neku snorted softly at the sight, as Amane hummed and wrapped an arm around the woman.

“Azura kept me company while you were inside,” Joshua told the redhead. “Sorry for freaking out earlier…”

Neku looked to Joshua for a moment, before he nodded softly. “It’s fine…”

Amane regarded Neku silently from under his long bangs, but he said nothing of the matter.

“Anyway… let’s go…”

“Ah, one moment, Neku-kun,” Azura called out before he could turn and leave.

Joshua even perked up, curious as to what the woman was going to say.

“Amane, may I ask you something?”

“…weren’t you going to ask Neku something?” Amane asked right back.

“For him, not of him, hon,” she clarified with a small smile.

At that, Neku quirked an eyebrow, before he looked to Joshua suspiciously. The silverette quickly shook his head, silently telling Neku he had no idea what she was going to say.

“…okay, I’ll bite… what do you want to know?”

“This has bothered me for a while, already, but I’ve not had opportunity to ask earlier… how do things continue for Neku-kun and his bonded?”

“…what are you ta--…oh.”

“Wait… what?!” Neku hissed softly, looking to Joshua with a frown.

Joshua groaned internally. She REALLY should have asked that when Neku wasn’t around! “N… not anytime soon…!” the teen exclaimed in a panic, blushing brightly.

Amane sighed, rubbing his temples, as if he was getting a headache. “…you really shouldn’t concern yourself with that, Azura…”

“Please?”

“…” Amane looked at the woman dryly, before he sighed heavily. “…It would take too long to explain…”

“Aww…”

“…later, alright?”

Azura sighed dramatically, but she nodded her head softly in agreement.

The silverette sighed shakily, lowering his gaze to the ground out of nervousness. He knew Neku would either get mad or question him about it when they got back home, so he would have preferred Azura asking Amane when they were alone, then telling Joshua another time.

“…let’s go…” Amane finally said, beginning to lead Azura away.

“Okay. Goodbye, Joshua,” Azura called out, waving lightly.

“See you, Azura,” the teen answered back, waving as well. He then turned to Neku once the pair was gone.

Neku didn’t say anything to him, though. He just rubbed his temple, before he began to head out of the temple as well. His bond was quick to follow, not wanting to upset the redhead further by saying anything.

Once they stood at the foot of the stairs, Neku settled down and shifted into full okami form, staying low to allow Joshua to get on. Taking the hint, Joshua obeyed, climbing onto the okami’s back and pressing his face into the warm neck fur. He was feeling a little chilled, so he was glad to be close to Neku again so he could warm up.

Once he was settled in properly, the okami began to head off, maneuvering through the forest quietly.

 

Finally, they arrived at the okami’s house, and Neku pushed open the door with his muzzle, stepping inside quietly, lightly kicking the door shut as he headed for the stash of pillows across the room. Joshua remained still, surprised Neku hadn’t had him climb off so he could shift back just yet.

However, no sooner had he thought that, or Neku arched his shoulder, easily tossing Joshua off to land on the pillows. The smaller male landed with a huff, and watched Neku curiously.

Once he was off, Neku rose to his feet and shifted back, running his hands through his hair. “…ugh… that took much longer than necessary…” he mumbled.

Unsure of what to say to that, Joshua merely nodded.

After a moment, Neku turned and headed for the kitchen, humming in thought, as he opened a few cupboards.

The teen watched with interest, hoping Neku wasn’t mad at him for what Azura had said before.

“…ah, there we go,” he murmured, pulling out something from the cupboard and walking back toward Joshua. “Here,” he said, passing the human a plate with what appeared to be a slice of pie.

“Thank you, but…don’t you want any?” Joshua asked.

“I’ll grab one later… I’m not hungry right now.” And with that said, Neku moved over and dropped himself down on the other side of the pillow stash.

“Okay…” the silverette conceded, and then took a bite, pleasantly surprised by the savory taste.

It was some sort of meat pie, that much he could tell, but he couldn’t discern the animal it could’ve come from.

“Hey Neku? What kind of meat is in this?” he asked.

“Raven,” was the immediate response.

“Oh, I couldn’t tell. But it’s good,” he replied.

“…hm.”

Neku didn’t look over, but, for some reason, his tail twitched at the tip. Joshua noticed, and silently wondered if Neku was holding back the urge to wag his tail from the comment. If Neku noticed the look, then he didn’t show it from where he lay.

As he continued to eat the slice of meat pie, Joshua idly thought about how he’d like to make Neku wag his tail more, not just a mere twitch.

Just then, Neku suddenly got up and headed for the kitchen again.

“Hm?” The smaller male watched his bond curiously.

Silently, Neku reached into the cupboard briefly, and then produced a piece of jerky, which he stuck between his teeth to nibble on as he walked back.

Joshua spotted the inside of the cupboard, and realized there were no other pieces of meat pie inside. Once Neku was seated again, Joshua smiled at Neku as he handed him the plate. “Here.”

Neku blinked at the gesture, before he frowned and pushed it back. “It’s fine. I’m not that hungry yet.”

“Neku, I saw it’s the last slice. Please?”

Neku sighed heavily. “Seriously, I’m fine!”

“At least split half with me,” the smaller male offered.

The okami frowned in slight annoyance at Joshua’s persistence, but, in the end, he thought better of it and sighed. “Fiiine…” he mumbled, extending his nails briefly and effortlessly cutting the slice in half.

“Thank you,” Joshua murmured as he took his half.

Neku merely grumbled a bit under his breath as he bit down on his own half. However, when Joshua looked down at his tail, the limb’s tip was flicking about lightly. This made the silverette smile on the inside, seeing as the redhead would become suspicious if he saw him smiling.

Like that, the pair stayed for a while longer, finishing off their meager dinner, before settling back against the pillows.

Neku was quick to stretch out his limbs and then roll onto his side quietly.

Joshua did the same, but even as he curled up into a ball on the pillows to sleep, he shivered.

At that, Neku’s ear twitched back, and he looked over his shoulder. “…what now?”

“Sorry, kinda cold,” the smaller male whispered.

There was no immediate response from Neku. However, after a moment, the redhead began to search through the stash of pillows, grumbling. And finally, he pulled out a woolen blanket and unceremoniously tossed it over Joshua.

The teen was quick to wrap himself up in it, murmuring a soft, “Thank you,” to his bond. He inhaled the warm scent on the blanket, and was pleased to find it matched the scent of Neku’s fur when he was in his full okami form.

“Just go to sleep… baka…” Neku mumbled softly as he settled down again.

Joshua hummed softly in response, and then fell asleep, lulled by the okami’s soothing scent.


	7. The Formation of a Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua comes to learn a little more about his bonded...

As the morning steadily rolled in, Joshua wearily opened her eyes when the sun peeked in through a crack in the window. And as his awareness kicked in, he realized he was lying with his head on Neku’s stomach, as the okami had rolled over sometime during the night.

Startled, the teen stiffened, but otherwise remained still, enjoying the closeness they were sharing, even if the redhead was asleep and unaware during this. Neku snorted sleepily, briefly stretching out… before curling right back up around Joshua, curling his nails into his shirt.

The silverette fought back a small squeak of surprise, but was very happy to have Neku curled around him like this. It made him more comfortable, so he relaxed into Neku’s hold.

“…mmm…”

The smaller male remained relaxed, despite the redhead beginning to stir.

Slowly, Neku unfurled, sitting upright, blinking blearily, before he yawned widely, stretching out his whole body and making his joints crack. And Joshua reveled in the feeling of the okami’s warm body as he stretched, loving every bit of it.

Once he had finished stretching, Neku finally realized something was off as he looked down. “…the heck!?” he yelped, backing up immediately.

Joshua gave the okami a hurt look. “I woke up like this, I swear!” he defended himself hurriedly.

Neku frowned a little, but he said nothing else on the matter. “…ugh… whatever…” he mumbled, getting to his feet and stretching out his arms over his head.

Joshua sighed internally; why couldn’t Neku just take to the bond? Granted, Joshua hadn’t right away, but now he was beginning to like it. If only his bond would accept it…

“…Hmm…” Neku suddenly hummed from the kitchen, one hand to his chin as his tail flicked slowly about.

Joshua watched him with a slight pout. Neku could have AT LEAST let it go for a little longer, dammit…

“…oy…” the redhead said suddenly.

“Hmm?”

“Pheasant or duck?”

“Umm… No preference, really,” the smaller male admitted, shrugging.

“That’s not helping…” Neku grumbled softly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Sorry, I’ve never had either before,” Joshua apologized.

At that, Neku looked at him dryly. “What do you think yesterday’s lunch was? Chicken? Ya think I’d try to snatch one of those from somewhere?”

“No, I wasn’t saying that!” the silverette defended himself. “I was just saying I haven’t had either one, so I don’t have a preference…”

“…guess we should fix that then…” Neku mumbled with a half shrug as he headed for the cupboard. “Duck hotpot it is, then…”

Joshua nodded, accepting the statement, but didn’t speak, as he wasn’t sure what else to say.

“You go ahead and wash up. This’ll take a bit,” Neku pointed out then.

The teen gave a small sound of acknowledgement, and got up to head to the ‘bathroom’ to wash up. He peeled off his shirt, and then waded in, allowing himself to relax in the water.

The water was, despite the early hour, still very warm, which did very little to properly wake someone up. If anything, it’d only make one lazier. It made the silverette want to just float on the surface for hours, but he knew that wasn’t realistic.

As the clouds above lazily floated by, a light breeze ruffled the teen’s bangs. The fields around them were quiet, but not eerily so. It was just so… peaceful…

Which was shattered by a loud bang.

Joshua jumped, startled as hell by the noise, and looked at Neku in the kitchen. “What was that?!”

Neku, in response, snarled furiously as he came out to stand in the doorway, looking toward where the sound came from. “…hunters…” the okami growled out.

“What?! How did they get in without being noticed?!” the silverette yelped worriedly. He scrambled out of the water, hurrying to dry off and slip his shirt back on.

“They know how to hide themselves better…” Neku murmured, a dark glare on his face

“Damn it…” Joshua muttered, watching his bond with concern. He knew Neku would fiercely defend his territory, but that still left Joshua worrying about him.

“Get inside,” Neku hissed softly, “And stay there until I get back.”

“Please be careful, Neku,” Joshua murmured as he obeyed, hastily scurrying inside past the okami.

Once he shut the door, Neku snarled and took off immediately, shifting mid-dash before he disappeared down the rocky cliffs and into the forest below.

 

“Goddammit, man!” the commander hissed out. “Are you trying to give us away?!”

“S-sorry sir!” the rookie stammered out, practically shaking in his boots. “M-my finger slipped…!”

Growling softly under his breath, the commander turned around and steadied his own rifle. “All of you be on your guard… They probably know we’re here now…”

The other men nodded and followed after slowly, carrying their guns close as they went. They moved in silence, despite the armor they were wearing, keeping their ears and eyes open.

However, what the group of hunters didn’t realize, was that they were now the hunted instead.

The last hunter in line grumbled as he paused in his steps when his armored plating began to let loose. He crouched down, put down his gun and swiftly began to secure it again. However, before he could stand back up, he became aware of a shadow hovering over him and he whirled around, reaching for his gun…

But before he could reach it, the beast’s jaw snapped shut around him, piercing his arms and his jugular. He was dead in seconds.

The large beast tossed the bleeding corpse aside soundlessly, before he moved after the pack of humans, remaining in the shadows for a few moments more.

The rookie paused suddenly and looked around in alarm. “…Keita?” he breathed out, terrified at the current situation.

He looked around slowly, trying to breathe slowly… and then he screamed as he brought up his gun… too late.

His torso was ripped apart in mere moments, despite the armor, and, although now alerted, the remainder of the hunters weren’t fast or experienced enough to deal with an actual okami.

And as they all laid dead, the beast regarded them in silence, before he reared back his head and howled.

 

Noboru’s head lifted at the sound of the howl, glaring in its general direction.

“A-ah…!” Ellie gasped out at the sound, beginning to shake in response.

“Ellie, love, it’s okay, it’s in the forest, and we’re safe,” the man comforted his wife, holding her close.

“But what if… what if it comes again…?”

“It won’t, dear. I won’t let it.”

Ellie whimpered pathetically as she huddled up against her husband, positively terrified.

Noboru held her close, comforting her as he thought to himself, ‘Damned okami, I will send you to hell!’

 

Joshua perked up upon hearing the howl, and he somehow sensed it wasn’t a pained one, so that meant his bonded was okay. Sighing in relief, the silverette patiently waited for Neku to return home.

Only five minutes after the howl had faded, the door opened and Neku walked in silently.

“Hey,” Joshua greeted when he saw the redhead, but when he saw the blood, he instinctively wrinkled his nose a little.

“Yeah, sorry…” the redhead grumbled, briefly reaching up to wipe some of the blood from his cheek, before heading into the kitchen to check on the hotpot.

“It’s okay,” the smaller male murmured, following him. He paused in the doorway. “You had to do what was necessary.”

Neku hummed softly as he poked around in the pot, before he nodded and extinguished the fire. “Right… it’s done… feel free to start; I’m gonna wash this off.”

“Thank you,” Joshua told the redhead softly, and pulled out two sets of chopsticks before reaching in with his pair and beginning to eat. He gave a pleased hum at the taste before taking another bite and waiting for Neku to return to continue. Despite what he’d said, Joshua wanted to wait on his bonded so they could preferably eat together.

Thankfully, the redhead made it quick and walked in barely a few minutes later… without a shirt on, though.

The smaller male’s eyes widened at the sight, and he quickly looked down at the food, grabbing another bite and eating so he couldn’t speak. Neku didn’t seem to notice as he sat down, though, and instead picked up the chopsticks and started to pick out a piece of duck meat and a few veggies.

“It’s really good,” the teen murmured after swallowing his mouthful of food.

“Hm…” Neku hummed around a mouthful of food, nodding softly as he did.

Joshua kept his gaze mostly to the floor, only looking up to grab a bite of food. He REALLY didn’t want Neku to know how much he wanted to admire his chest…

Just as he moved in for another bite, though, his chopsticks accidentally collided with Neku’s as they reached for the same piece of meat.

Immediately, the silverette withdrew his chopsticks. “Go ahead!” he squeaked.

At the sound, Neku blinked curiously, before he suddenly scooted over and, without warning, put his fingers between Joshua’s teeth and pried his mouth open to peek inside.

Joshua’s face erupted in a crimson blush, and he was quick to recoil from the touch. “What the-?”

“…” Neku didn’t move for a moment, but his tail was swaying behind him curiously… before he finally moved back. “Huh… almost sounded like you inhaled a mouse or something…”

“A mouse?” Joshua repeated, and then burst into laughter. “No, Neku, I was embarrassed because we went for the same piece of meat!”

“…embarrassed?” Neku repeated, frowning in question with his head tilted and his ear twitching. “Why?”

“I just said, didn’t I?” the smaller male giggled. “It’s because we went for the same piece of meat at the same time.”

“…how is that a valid reason?” the redhead questioned, adjusting his position to lean back on one arm with the other resting over his knee.

Upon noticing the change in position, Joshua blushed, his gaze swiftly flicking AWAY from his bond’s crotch. “U-um, well, it’s just kinda silly, I guess…” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“…that’s one way to put it…” Neku mumbled, before he moved in again to put a hand to his forehead. “…seriously, you’re not sick, are you?”

“No, I’m not sick!” Joshua protested, pouting when the redhead checked him. On the inside, however, he was enjoying Neku’s touch and concern. Even if it WAS just for the okami’s own survival.

“…better not,” Neku grumbled softly, before he sat back again and went back to eating silently.

Joshua sighed internally, disappointed. He wanted to be in more physical contact with Neku, but that wouldn’t be possible unless a miracle happened.

 

After they finished breakfast, Neku went for the closet and grabbed a fresh shirt, tugging it on quietly. Joshua pouted as the redhead’s back was to him, already missing the sight of the okami’s pale torso.

Once dressed, Neku ruffled his own hair a bit, before he hummed thoughtfully.

“What are you thinking about?” the teen inquired.

“…What do humans do during the day, anyway? You’re always out moving… doesn’t that tire you out?”

“Not really… It depends on what you’re doing, I guess,” Joshua shrugged, watching his bonded with interest.

“Hm…”

“What?”

“…you’re all weird…”

Joshua laughed. “We see each other as unique or different. That may seem weird to you, but it’s normal for us,” the silverette smiled. His expression sobered, however, as he next spoke. “But to most people I’ve come across, they always consider my mother and myself too different compared to others…”

“…different how? Just cuz your fur’s different?” Neku questioned.

The smaller male blinked, and then sighed. “Well, we look different from most, so they consider us ‘foreigners’, despite having been born and raised in Japan…”

Neku didn’t respond to that for a moment, before he stated simply: “…that’s dumb…”

Joshua smiled sadly at Neku. “I know, but trying to change everyone’s minds to be more open is similar to trying to move a mountain, I guess.” He paused. “Or like trying to save a sinking ship. It’s a lost cause.”

“…ch…” That was all Neku had to say about that before he headed out through the backdoor.

“Hey, where are you going?” the silverette yelped, scrambling to his feet.

“Out. I need fresh air,” Neku said calmly.

“O-oh…”

After a moment though…

“Are you coming or what?!”

“Sorry! I thought you meant you wanted to be alone…” Joshua apologized, joining Neku.

“Never said that, did I?” Neku grumbled, walking ahead briskly, his tail swaying left to right in tune with his steps.

“Well, you didn’t really specify,” the smaller male pointed out, trailing after Neku at a matching pace. “Nor did you really ask or offer. Not that I mind!”

“…” Neku paused for a moment and looked back dryly.

“What I mean is that it wasn’t specified that I was coming with,” Joshua pouted when he saw the look.

“…you talk too much…” Neku mumbled, before he plopped down under one of the cherry blossom trees, where he proceeded to curl up quietly.

“And you not enough,” his bond retorted, copying him.

“Hm…” Neku hummed simply.

After a few minutes of quiet, simply listening to the sounds of the forest around them, Joshua asked quietly, “Neku…? Why do you hate humans so much?”

“…”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to… I was just wondering…”

The redhead didn’t respond. In fact, upon close inspection, Joshua noticed that the okami had actually just fallen asleep.

“Dammit…” the teen mumbled, frustrated. He had hoped he might get a reason why, but that wasn’t gonna happen now…

Just then, Neku hissed in his sleep as he curled up further, his entire body beginning to shake.

Concerned, Joshua placed his hand on his bonded’s shoulder. “…Neku?”

Neku didn’t respond to either the touch or the call of his name, but he actually whimpered just then. Before Joshua could try again, though, he noticed a faint shimmer from the corner of the okami’s eye.

“…m…ma…ma…”

And suddenly it clicked in Joshua’s mind when the redhead mumbled out the faint word. Humans must have killed Neku’s mother, possibly even in front of him, and, at the same time, his father, due to their bond. “Oh my god… Neku… I…I’m so sorry…” Joshua whimpered, feeling horribly guilty, despite not having had any part of it.

Neku didn’t respond, though he did whimper, curling up further.

The okami’s bonded slowly laid himself next to Neku, and gently wrapped his arms around the redhead, hoping to provide comfort to him.

As the silverette’s arms came around him, Neku gradually stopped shaking, and he noticeably relaxed in the tender hold.

Upon noticing this, Joshua, feeling a little brave, softly pressed his forehead against the back of Neku’s neck. The okami merely breathed deeply, as a soft humming snore came from his throat, with his tail twitching every so often.

The smaller male was glad that Neku was accepting him subconsciously, but as for his waking mind… that was yet to be seen. Hopefully Azura was right and Neku would come to terms with the bond over time.

 

Time passed them by in silence, with Neku napping lazily but peacefully, and Joshua just watching over him silently. After what felt like a short eternity, Neku finally stirred again. Hoping the redhead wouldn’t be pissed, Joshua remained where he was, forcing himself into staying relaxed.

Neku moaned softly as he curled up a little further, before slowly blinking his eyes open again. Even then, the smaller male remained where he was.

As his consciousness returned fully, Neku finally seemed to realize what kind of position they were in just then. “What the heck?!” he yelped, pulling Joshua’s arms away and jumping away reflexively.

“You were having a nightmare,” Josha mumbled, looking away with a hurt expression.

Neku frowned at the words, ears pressed back against his head. “And that explains what you did HOW?”

“I… I heard you talking in your sleep… You said ‘ma’.”

At that, Neku’s eyes widened in alarm, before he ground his teeth and curled his hands in the grass. He didn’t say anything, but it was obvious that he was very displeased with the current situation.

“I’m sorry, Neku… I don’t know what else to say other than sorry…”

“…for what?”

“For what happened… When you said that, I figured out what happened as to why you hate humans so much…” Joshua murmured, almost bracing himself for Neku to get pissed at him.

“…”

None of that happened, though. In fact, Neku just sat there, actually staring at Joshua silently with a blank look on his face.

Swallowing nervously, the silverette said, “Humans killed your mom, and at the same time, your dad, because of their bond…”

“…”

Joshua began to fidget under the intense sapphire gaze of his bonded okami, and soon looked away, unable to hold his stare.

However, Neku continued to stare, before he moved over, and grabbed Joshua’s chin and forced him to look over. Joshua’s violet eyes widened at the action, and he stared into Neku’s eyes, beginning to wonder what the okami was thinking.

Neku didn’t say anything for a long time, and simply sat there, holding his face still.

“…why are you apologizing?”

“…Because I feel guilty, even though I had nothing to do with it,” the teen murmured.

“…why?”

“Because you hate humans since they caused you to lose your parents, and I’m human…”

Neku didn’t say anything for a long time, but finally…

“…you’re weird…”

“Wha?”

“…but you’re not THAT bad… I guess…”

Joshua pouted, still in Neku’s hold on his face. “I would think I’d be better than ‘not that bad’ to you…”

Neku merely snorted as he let Joshua go again.

The silverette quickly missed the touch of his bonded, feeling disappointment wash over him. “Neku?”

“…what?”

“…Are you mad because…I was…hugging you earlier?” Joshua asked softly.

“…” Neku looked at him dryly for a moment, before he pointed to his own face. “Do I look mad?”

“Okay, I can take a hint…” the smaller male muttered, looking put out as he stared at the ground. To most, he’d look pretty miserable right now.

Neku regarded the human for a moment more. Joshua was so different from all the other humans he’d ever come into contact with. Sure, most of them had been hunters, or just really stupid people trespassing on his turf.

Of course, he knew that bonded humans often went through changes that made them more favorable to the okami, courtesy of Azura, mostly, but seeing it up close like this, he had difficulty grasping the entire situation.

Still--

Suddenly, his nose twitched and he blinked. “Hm?”

“What?” Joshua asked.

Neku didn’t respond, sniffing at the air a few times, before he turned around, his ears shifting back and forth in an attempt to find the source of whatever had caught his attention. And the silverette watched him curiously, hoping it wasn’t danger.

“…” After a moment, though, a small grin actually broke out on the redhead’s face and he got up to all fours, his tail snapping back and forth.

“What is it?” Joshua finally asked, a small smile forming on his face as he watched the excited okami, a light laugh escaping him at the sight of his tail wagging.

“Dinner,” the redhead quipped simply, and then, in the next instant, he bounded off, shifting halfway into full okami form and disappearing beyond the trees.

Joshua’s shoulders slumped as Neku took off, but he remained where he was to wait for his bonded’s return.

Not long after, there was a pained yelp before it was abruptly cut off. And then, a few minutes later, Neku came back, carrying a dead badger in his jaws.

“I take it you like badger, huh?” Joshua guessed as he stood.

As Neku rose to his feet, switching the badger from his mouth to his hands, he looked at the human for a moment. “Never had badger either, huh?”

“Never. But I’m open to trying new things,” the teen answered with a smile.

“Heh. Let’s head back, then,” the redhead quipped as he started back to the house.

“Sounds good,” Joshua nodded, and followed his bonded, his heart feeling strangely lighter as he walked. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Neku hummed in thought for a moment, before he said: “Well… we’re gonna have to skin this thing before we get to eating… or even cooking. Ever done that?”

“No, but I’d like to learn.”

“Alright.” Neku nodded as they walked inside, and then into the kitchen, where he put the badger in some sort of large sieve. “Right… first we need to heat up some water…” he said as he pulled out a kettle and put it over the fire.

The silverette watched Neku keenly, eager to learn.

Once the water had heated, Neku grabbed a rag and handed it to Joshua. “Here. Just take the kettle and start pouring the water over it.”

Joshua nodded, following the redhead’s directions. As the hot water was poured over the dead badger, the fur gradually started to let go.

Neku nodded. “The hot water softens it up, and makes it easier to get the fur off,” he pointed out, reaching out to places where Joshua wasn’t working to tug loose the fur. “Plus, it kills any bugs latching on to ‘em…”

“Yeah, that’d be good,” Joshua murmured.

Once they’d removed all the fur and made sure there were absolutely no bugs on it, Neku moved the badger over to the counter. “Right… think it’s better I do this part…” he said as he picked up the knife.

Joshua watched regardless, keeping quiet so as not to break Neku’s concentration.

Silently, Neku began cutting the corpse open, removing the meat in silence, moving his hands slowly and methodically. Surprisingly, Joshua didn’t find himself disgusted by the sight. Even as Neku cut apart the badger, he actually became interested.

Finally, Neku finished, and put the knife away. “Right; always make sure you leave as much fat on there as you can. Makes it that much better.”

“Yeah, I remember that from when my mother taught me how to cook beef,” Joshua nodded.

“Right… now… question is, what do we make with it? Hmm…”

“…what about a spinoff of yakitori?” Joshua suggested.

“…? What’s yakitori?” Neku questioned, his ear perking up curiously.

“It’s typically a dish of chicken meat, liver, and vegetables that are skewered and grilled over hot coals,” he explained.

 “Ah… never had that before…” Neku admitted, scratching the side of his head.

“I can show you how to make it, as long as you have something we can use as skewers,” the teen offered.

“I think I got some of those…” Neku murmured, as he reached into a nearby cupboard and pulled out some ceramic chopsticks. “Will these do?”

“They should work,” Joshua replied. “Now we just need some veggies to put on the skewers with the meat.”

“To your left. Should be plenty in there.”

“Perfect. They’ll give the meat some extra flavor,” the smaller male smiled. “Do you want to cut the meat, or the veggies?”

“I got the meat knife still, so I’ll handle those.”

“Fair enough,” the silverette giggled. “Got a knife for me to use?”

“Lemme see… ah yeah, here.” Neku held out the knife to Joshua handle-first.

“Thanks,” his bonded nodded, taking the knife. He then pulled out a few different vegetables, and began to cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Neku, in the meantime, began to methodically slice the meat into pieces that were roughly the same size, if marginally bigger.

Once finished, Joshua began to carefully skewer the meat and veggies on the chopsticks, first putting a piece of meat, then a veggie, and so on. Once the food was all skewered, Joshua set up the ‘skewers’ to cook over the fire.

As they waited for the food to cook, Neku settled by the fire and simply sat there, watching it. Joshua did the same, occasionally glancing at Neku or flipping the skewers so both sides would cook evenly. Neku didn’t notice, though; he was a little too preoccupied with watching the food cook.

Once it was done, the smaller male carefully pulled the skewers off with a rag to protect his hand, and offered it to Neku, with the rag, of course.

The okami nodded in thanks, but he took a moment to blow on the yakitori before chomping down.

“What do you think?” Joshua asked, eager to hear what his bond had to say.

Rather than say anything, Neku instead finished his first bite and immediately took another. “Ish gud,” he managed to get out around a mouthful.

This made Joshua laugh as he grinned at the redhead. “Good to know,” he chuckled, grabbing another skewer with a second rag. Once it had cooled a little, he took a bite, pleasantly surprised by the taste.

 

Like that, they ate in silence, finishing in only a short while. As Joshua made to put the chopsticks back, though, he realized that they were actually decorated by peculiar knot like symbols.

“Hey Neku, what’s the design on these?” he asked curiously, looking to the okami.

“Hm?” Neku blinked as he looked over. “Oh… those are ‘Celtic knots’.”

“Oh. Well, they certainly look nice,” the silverette smiled.

“Yeah… they usually don’t have a beginning or end. They just keep going infinitely,” Neku explained. “Go ahead and try.”

Joshua attempted to traced the tip of his finger along one of the knots, and found he couldn’t stop. There was no end to it, let alone a beginning. “You’re right,” Joshua murmured.

“Heh, told ya,” Neku chuckled.

“Still, they’re really cool. I love how intricate they are,” he commented.

For a moment, Neku hesitated, but the look on Joshua’s face was just…

“…well… I can teach you… if you want…”

“Really? That would be great,” the smaller male told Neku, smiling brightly. He then let out a small yawn, blinking a little tiredly.

“Heh. Let’s do that tomorrow, though, shall we?” the redhead chuckled.

“Good thinking,” Joshua agreed, laughing a bit.

After stashing away the utensils, the pair made their way to the stash of pillows. Neku wasted no time in climbing on top, stretching briefly as he did. Joshua did the same, climbing onto the side he usually slept on while grabbing the blanket, a faint twinge of sadness in his heart at the thought of once again not sleeping close to Neku.

However, before he could doze off, there was a sudden tug at the back of his shirt, pulling him back until his head was resting on top of Neku’s stomach.

Startled, Joshua looked up at the okami in silent question.

“Shut up and go to sleep,” was all the redhead mumbled, before he curled up quietly.

Smiling softly in the dim room, Joshua closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall asleep, finally being allowed to sleep by his bonded.


	8. Conflict's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conflict is brought to an abrupt end

“Right… I think that’s all we’re going to need,” Kamui murmured as he strapped on his bow.

“Damn straight. I want my son back,” Noboru growled softly as he tied his katana around his waist.

Kamui nodded solemnly. “We’ll have to leave soon before anyone wakes up… we’re breaking a lot of rules by going out on our own like this…”

“I don’t give a shit. That okami is going to die for taking my son,” his friend grunted, glaring at the ground as they started to leave.

Kamui didn’t say another word, even as the small group headed out of Mino, and into the forest as one.

 

“…then you go diagonally like this,” Neku instructed as he drew the charcoal across the scroll.

Joshua copied him, drawing a similar line on his scroll.

“Right, so then--!!” Suddenly, the okami froze, his ears snapping up in alarm.

“Neku? What’s wrong?!” Joshua demanded, noticing the redhead’s reaction to something he couldn’t detect.

“…someone’s coming…” he snarled softly.

Joshua began to panic, wondering who the hell would willingly trespass in Neku’s, or ANY okami’s really, territory.

“Stay here…” Neku murmured, getting up and heading for the door.

“Okay. But be careful, please,” the teen murmured, worried again for his bonded’s safety. Yes, Neku was an AMAZINGLY territorial fighter, but sometimes humans might do something different to throw him off.

Neku merely nodded, before he closed the door behind him and took off.

 

Meanwhile, the small group of humans made their way along the rocky path, up an incline through the woods.

“Damn… where is that son of a bitch?!” one of the men snarled softly, carrying a naginata in hand.

“He’ll be here, I can feel it,” Noboru warned.

“Everyone, be quiet…” Kamui whispered as they finally reached the top. As he moved aside some undergrowth, though, he stared. “What in…?”

Noboru glared. “This must be where the beast lives,” he said.

“In a house?” one of the men questioned skeptically. “Bah! I don’t think so… this place must’ve been from before they came here.”

Kamui frowned. “…if that’s true… why is there smoke coming from the chimney?”

“Well… uh…”

“That’s where Joshua is,” Noboru growled, gritting his teeth angrily.

“How do you even--”

“Sssh!” Kamui hissed suddenly, and everyone fell silent.

And as they listened, they could just barely make out a soft, rumbling growl from around them.

Furious that the okami was this close, Noboru unsheathed his katana, glaring viciously around them.

As the group prepared themselves, the growling grew more and more threatening, as the presence around them became almost stifling.

Kamui breathed steadily as he looked around, priming his bow, just in case.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Noboru snarled: “Come out, you coward!”

“Nobo--”

But Kamui’s hiss came too late, as the okami instantly appeared and rushed at Noboru, who was closest in range. Grinning maliciously, Noboru slashed at the beast’s face before leaping out of range of the okami’s fangs and claws.

The beast roared as the blade cut across its muzzle, backing off briefly before rushing back in. However, it had to swiftly jump aside to avoid Kamui’s arrow, and also the naginata of one of the other men. But one swift swipe from his claws knocked the man back with a scream.

“You’re going to die today, damned okami!” Noboru shouted, slashing the lupine beast’s shoulder.

The okami yelped at the slice across its shoulder, before it roared and lashed out again, barely missing Noboru. As the fourth member of their team rushed in with his own katana, he was quickly knocked back by a kick from the massive beast.

Kamui cursed softly as he leveled his bow again. After only a brief moment of aiming, he let the arrow fly.

And as the arrow lodged into the beast’s side, it howled out in agony.

Noboru laughed cruelly at the okami’s pain as he watched it. “Now you’ll pay for what you’ve done!” he yelled.

 

Joshua tensed as he heard Neku’s agonized howl and felt his bonded’s pain. “I can’t just stay here!” he growled at himself, and then quickly got up from the pillows and took off in the direction he could feel Neku’s pain coming from.

 

The okami hissed as it tried to get the arrow out while dodging Noboru’s swings, but it just couldn’t reach it. And as a second arrow lodged into its shoulder, the okami’s howls doubled as the pain made it stumble.

Noboru then signaled to Kamui to stop firing arrows, before preparing to kill the okami with one last slash of his katana. Right as he was about to slash the beast’s throat, however, Joshua ran in as fast as he could, quickly putting himself between Neku and Noboru’s blade.

“NO!!! STOP HURTING HIM!!!” the silverette screamed, spreading his arms in front of his bonded defensively.

“Joshua?!” Kamui choked out in alarm.

The okami gave a small hiss of pain, before he barked angrily at the teen.

“Neku, I’m not leaving you!” Joshua snapped at the okami stubbornly. Tears of misery and pain streaked down his cheeks as he looked at the redhead. “If you die, I die, too, remember?! And I don’t want you to die!!”

“Joshua… son… What on earth are you talking about?” Noboru demanded, eyeing the beast warily.

“Father, this okami and I are bonded, whether you like it or not,” the silverette explained, his voice thick with tears. “When Neku took me that day, it was because the bond between us had been forged. He told me that all okami are born bonded to a certain human, and when they make eye contact, the bond is set, and so Neku took me with him to keep me, and consequently himself, safe.”

“Wait… what are you talking about?” Kamui asked, obviously confused. “How could that be possible for you to… ‘bond’ with…?”

Neku snarled angrily, trying to get the arrows out, still, though the bloodloss had him falling down to the ground in pain.

“Here,” Joshua soothed, placing a calming hand to Neku’s head, between his ears, and carefully removed the arrows, wincing as he felt Neku’s pain in his own body. “I mean we’re together as a pair for life. If he dies, I die, and vice versa,” he spat, glaring at Kamui as he threw the bloodied arrows on the ground. “I feel when he’s in pain, too.”

Kamui frowned, clearly not really believing what the teen was claiming.

“You’ve been tricked, Joshua!” Noboru shouted, and pulled back to strike Neku regardless. Joshua locked up with his arms around Neku’s neck, determined to not move from protecting his bonded.

However, before Noboru could strike, something slammed into him from the side, knocking his katana out of his hands at the same time. Before he could get up though, a massive black and white furred paw slammed down on top of the man, keeping him pinned. Upon looking up, the paw belonged to a large, black and white okami, who growled threateningly at the man under its claw.

“Please, stop!” a familiar voice to Joshua’s ears called out from atop the new okami. And as its owner slid off its back, she called out: “He speaks the truth!”

Kamui’s eyes widened in both surprise and alarm as he choked out: “A-Azura?!”

“You know Azura?” Joshua frowned, but then shook his head. “Neku and I are bonded! You can’t kill him, or I’ll die, too! That’s how deep the bond is!”

“You can’t be serious!” Noboru grunted from beneath Amane’s paw.

“He is,” Azura said as she rested a hand on Amane’s back. “Each okami has a human bond somewhere… once the bond is established, it is for life…” she said, before she smiled sadly at Kamui. “That is why I was unable to return home, Brother…”

“But…”

“That’s impossible! They’re just gigantic, blood-lusting wolves!” Noboru snarled.

“Maybe now, but… Amane, please?”

The larger okami snorted, before he backed up -- and then rose up to his hind legs whilst shifting into human form.

“Wha?!” Kamui choked out.

“That’s the part no one seems to know about, because okami don’t show this side to humans other than their bonded,” Joshua said, gently petting Neku’s fur behind his ears. Noboru could only stare up at Amane in disbelief.

Neku hissed as he tried to move, only to growl softly at the pain in his side.

“…I see… so that’s why he took you…” Kamui murmured. “If you died… then so would he, right?”

“…that is correct…” Amane said solemnly as Azura stepped up to lean against him. “…much as our kind does not mix normally… there is little we can do about what is written for us…”

“Add to that, humans who are bonded will soon no longer wish to escape… it simply happens that we become drawn to them…” Azura added.

“She’s right,” Joshua agreed, placing a hand on his own side as he felt Neku’s pain throb in him. “I don’t want to leave Neku, Father. I want to stay.”

Noboru carefully sat up, and swallowed hard as he gave his son a sad look. “You really don’t want to come home?” he asked.

“Father… THIS is my home now, don’t you see?” the teen murmured.

“…even if you took him back by force… he would continue to try and return…” Amane said firmly. “Try as you might… you shall not succeed…”

Neku breathed heavily as he moved his muzzle over to Joshua, gently rubbing up against his side.

“Take it easy, I don’t like seeing you hurt,” Joshua whispered to Neku, gently stroking his muzzle. Looking back to Noboru, he said, “To be quite honest, I’m going to suggest you all leave, before any other okami arrive. I don’t want to see anyone else hurt. Besides, Neku needs to be tended to at home.”

Noboru’s shoulders slumped, and his posture became defeated.

Kamui considered the whole scenario one more time, before he nodded. “Fine… however, I do have one condition…”

This made Joshua tense. “What?”

However, Kamui allowed a small smile. “Once your… ‘bond’, is it? Once he’s healed, you must promise to come by Mino… to see your mother. She really misses you dearly.”

“I… I would only want to come if Neku is allowed safe passage,” Joshua said, his tone firm.

“Don’t worry; we’ll arrange something,” Kamui promised, before he turned to Azura and Amane. “Azura…”

The pale-haired woman giggled. “Sure; I will see what I can do,” she said, ignoring Amane’s look.

Joshua smiled slightly, and then looked at Neku. “Do you think you can walk home?” he asked.

Neku regarded Joshua dryly for a moment, before he tried to get up… and almost buckled under his own weight if Amane hadn’t come over and supported him.

Kamui sighed softly, before he moved to Noboru and helped him up. “C’mon… we need to go… before they realize what happened…”

“Right…” Noboru mumbled, not looking at Joshua as they left.

Joshua sighed once they were gone, and looked at Neku. “Let’s get your wounds tended to at home,” he murmured. Looking at Amane and Azura, he added, “Thank you. We’d have been dead if you hadn’t shown up.”

“It’s all right…” Azura murmured as Amane shifted into okami form and helped steady the other. “We were just passing by when we heard the howls. We couldn’t just leave you, could we?”

“Still, we’re grateful,” the smaller male insisted. He walked alongside Neku with a hand on his bonded’s uninjured shoulder as he spoke.

 

Once back at the house, Amane pushed Neku onto the pillows, where Neku almost immediately shifted back, hand going for his side to staunch the wound.

“Please move your hand, Neku,” Azura said as she walked over and began to gently wash and dress his wounds.

Joshua watched her keenly, and also kept an eye on Neku’s reactions, hoping not to feel his bonded in too much pain.

The redhead was gasping through his teeth, but he didn’t say a word as Azura worked. And Amane merely stood back and watched silently.

As Joshua watched, he soon took one of Neku’s hands in his, hoping to calm him a little. Instinctively, as a lance of pain shot through him, Neku’s hand clenched around Joshua’s as he hissed through his teeth, struggling not to move away from Azura’s care.

In an attempt to distract Neku from the pain, Joshua began to speak to Azura. “I didn’t know Kamui is your brother,” he said to her.

Azura giggled softly as she secured the bandages. “Not many would… Given how little we look alike.”

“Still, at least you have someone in the village who wants to see you again,” the teen smiled and he ran his thumb back and forth along Neku’s hand.

“Maybe so… but perhaps it would’ve been better if he didn’t know I was here…”

“Why do you say that?”

“Kamui is open about almost everything… but even he cannot stop others from judging me,” Azura said softly.

“Good point…” Joshua sighed. “Still, if it had been any other bonded pair that had shown up, I don’t think they’d have listened as well.”

“Likely not,” Azura agreed as she finished. “There we go.”

“Better?” the silverette asked Neku.

Neku didn’t speak, but he did nod minutely.

“Thank god…” Joshua sighed in relief. “Thank you for helping us, Amane, Azura."

Amane merely nodded his head, while Azura smiled. “You’re welcome. Now, Neku, just take it easy for the rest of the day, alright? Give your wounds some time to heal.”

Again, the redhead didn’t say anything, and only nodded to show he understood.

“I guess we’ll see you guys another time, then,” the smaller male murmured, noticing how quiet Neku was being.

“Most likely,” Azura said with a smile as she stood and then joined her bond. “Well, goodbye,”

“See you,” Joshua smiled back. He had never liked to say goodbye. He always believed that there never was truly goodbye between friends.

Azura smiled as she and Amane left quietly, leaving the pair alone once again.

A few minutes after they’d left, Joshua looked at Neku. “Are you mad that I stepped in?” he asked softly.

“……”

“Neku, if that’s the case, I’m not sorry I did. I don’t like seeing or feeling you in pain…” the silverette murmured, lightly squeezing the hand that he still held.

“…I’m not mad…”

“Then what are you thinking about right now?”

No response came immediately, but Neku’s fingers curled a little further around Joshua’s hand.

The smaller male blinked, surprised, and then looked at the okami in question, trying to verify his thoughts.

“…she didn’t just die…”

Joshua immediately knew what, or rather who, Neku was talking about. “What happened to her?” he asked quietly, scooting a little closer to him.

“…I ran off… coz I wanted to play in the fields… but then _they_ came and…” Neku paused here, as his hand tightened around Joshua’s.

“You can tell me, Neku. I’m right here,” Joshua whispered, moving his other hand to gently stroke the top of Neku’s hand he held.

“…she tried to protect me… but she… she wasn’t…” He took a deep breath and let it out shakily. “Dad… got them away… but… Mom…”

Joshua’s gaze saddened as he watched his bonded. “I’m so sorry, Neku…” he whispered.

“Don’t…” Neku said. “Just… don’t… it wasn’t your fault…”

“But you didn’t deserve to go through that,” the teen murmured.

“That doesn’t mean you should apologize for something you didn’t do…”

“You’re right,” Joshua smiled slightly. “Thank you. For trusting me enough to tell me about your past, even though it’s painful.”

Neku didn’t say anything. However, he did tug on Joshua’s hand.

Taking the wordless hint with a smile, Joshua curled up with Neku on the pillows, cuddling close to him to provide comfort without aggravating his injuries.

The okami merely hummed softly as he shut his eyes, slowly falling asleep.

As the silverette fell asleep with Neku’s warm scent soothing him, he could help but think, ‘I love you, Neku.’


	9. Reunion and Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An early day starts pleasantly, but ends in anguish...

Neku stopped moving as they came to the edge of Mino, still well out of sight. Despite saying he wasn’t going to, he eventually agreed to get Joshua back to the village. It was far too early for anyone to be up, yet, and even the guards were actually dozing off, which would definitely make it easier to get into the village.

And yet Neku refused to budge from where he stood at the edge, half-hidden in the shadows of the foliage.

“Don’t worry, Neku. It’s still early enough that no one should know we’re here besides my parents,” Joshua murmured, lightly petting his bonded’s ears.

Neku merely growled as he settled at the edge of the forest to let Joshua off.

The silverette climbed off, and looked at the redhead with an expectant expression.

Neku glared angrily at the teen, before he sat back pointedly, not making any effort to change forms.

“Neku, come on. You agreed to come with,” the teen pointed out. “And I don’t think you’d prefer me to go on my own.”

This made the okami growl softly, ears pressing back angrily, before he gave a small huff and shifted. “…just so you know… I’m NEVER doing this again!”

“And I don’t expect you to. After this, I’m not coming back unless one of my parents is on their deathbed,” Joshua replied, hoping the honest statement would at least help a bit.

Neku merely snorted, before he (begrudgingly) followed after Joshua.

 

As they approached Joshua’s former home, the smaller male watched for any sign that his mother or father were waiting for his and Neku’s arrival. They’d managed to at least give them a bit of a warning about when they would be coming by tossing a rock with a note against the door from out of the village (Neku had damn good aim), and they’d made sure they found it, too.

However, instead of his parents, there was someone else waiting for them.

“Joshua!!” came an energetic chirp as a familiar girl came barreling over and almost knocked Joshua of his feet.

“Kana?!” Joshua yelped quietly in shock as he caught the girl in a hug. After all, don’t want to alert the villagers, ne? “What are you doing here this early?”

“I was gonna go look for bugs… and then you came home! Yay!” the girl cheered.

“Actually, Kana… I’m only coming to visit Mother…” the silverette told her. “But before we talk further, let’s get inside. I don’t want to have any of the villagers knowing we’re here.” He glanced at Neku as he said the last part.

“Huh? Why not?” Kana asked with a pout, before she seemed to notice Neku. “Oh hi!”

Neku frowned softly, but he didn’t say anything in response.

“I’ll explain inside, but let’s go,” Joshua urged, and quickly led Neku into his old home, bringing Kana with him.

Kana blinked curiously, watching Neku with a great deal of curiosity (mostly his tail). And Neku merely grumbled something under his breath as they stepped inside.

Once inside with the door shut, Joshua sighed in relief. “That’s better,” he murmured, and then looked at Kana. “Kana, do you remember the okami that took me that day?” he asked her.

“Uh-huh,” the girl said with a small pout. “The big meanie grabbed you and ran away with you!”

“Actually, he’s not mean,” Joshua chuckled, looking back at Neku. “He had a very good reason for taking me with him. But anyway…” He stepped over to Neku as he next spoke. “Kana, this is Neku, and he’s that same okami.”

“Huh??” Kana blinked curiously, before she regarded Neku again. “But… he doesn’t look mean at all!” she chirped after a while.

“That’s right. Neku’s actually really kind once you get to know him,” Joshua smiled, ignoring the huff from the okami. “But he’s the same okami. The reason he took me that day is because we’re bonded to each other. We made eye contact the day he attacked the village, which sealed our bond. He told me every okami is born bonded to a certain human, and I happen to be Neku’s. Making eye contact just seals that bond during the first meeting.”

“Uhm… I don’t get it…” Kana whined unhappily.

Neku didn’t bother trying to explain the situation. Just then, his ears twitched toward the entryway to the living room.

Noticing this, Joshua looked in the direction Neku’s ears had twitched, and then saw his father. “Good morning, Father,” he greeted.

Noboru blinked, seeming a little surprised by his son’s presence. “Good morning, Joshua,” he replied. His gaze then switched to Neku, and he soon seemed to recognize the redhead’s hair color as a match to the fur of the okami from before. “This is Neku, correct?”

“Yeah. He’s doing better now,” the teen answered softly.

“…” Neku said nothing in greeting. He just stood there, staring the man down icily.

And Kana merely looked back and forth in confusion.

“I’m sorry.” The apology surprised Joshua, and he frowned in slight confusion. “I was wrong for attacking you, Neku. I was blinded with anger because I wanted my son back. But now I know he’s safe and happy with you, and that’s all I care about, that he’s safe and happy.”

“…” Neku didn’t answer, though he did snort briefly.

“Can’t blame him for still being upset,” Joshua shrugged. “After all, he was really hurt. You guys nearly killed him.” Noboru hung his head in shame.

“I’m sorry, I really am,” he murmured. “Neku, even though I shouldn’t ask this, just please take good care of my son…”

“…”

Of course, Neku kept his mouth shut still, his expression unchanging. Before anyone could say anything else, though, his ear twitched again.

“Nobo…?” a weary voice called out. “Who’s there…?”

“Mother, it’s me, Joshua,” the silverette answered back. “I’m here to visit.”

 “Josh…?” Ellie called out, before there was the sound of someone getting up and walking over slowly.

Joshua chuckled as he went over to meet her. “In the flesh,” he smiled, hugging her.

Ellie gasped as the teen hugged her, clearly startled, before tears filled her eyes. “Joshua…! Oh thank god!” she breathed/sobbed, hugging her son close. “Joshua… Joshua…!”

“I’m fine, Mother, I promise. Neku’s taken really good care of me,” he assured her as he rubbed her back soothingly.

Neku merely watched silently, but his expressions changed subtly as he did.

Kana watched it for a moment, before she grinned and came running over. “Huuuugs!” she chirped as she pounced on both Joshua and Ellie.

“Ah!” Ellie yelped, before she managed a shaky laugh.

Joshua laughed lightly at Kana’s antics, but then looked at his mother. “Did Father tell you what happened when he went looking for me?” he asked.

“…yes…” Ellie admitted, a sad expression coming over her. “You aren’t staying… are you?”

“Whaaaat? No way! No fair no fair!!” Kana whined. “This is your home! You can’t go away from your Mama and Papa! You can’t!!”

“I need to, Kana, and besides that, I want to stay with Neku. I’m not going to put his life in danger to stay here,” Joshua told the girl.

“But what about your Mama and Papa…?” the girl asked with a pout. “They’ll be sad, too!”

“I know, but I can’t risk Neku being hurt for being here,” the teen murmured.

“That’s not fair…” the girl whined, looking like she was on the verge of crying herself.

“Kana… sweetie, it’s… it’s okay…” Ellie said as she crouched down.

“No it’s NOT! It’s not okay! It’s _not!!_ ”

“Kana!” Joshua said firmly, getting frustrated himself. “I want to stay with Neku, that’s it. I just… I didn’t want to make this hard on anyone…”

“But-but…!”

Before Joshua could try to say anything else, though, a peculiar sound filled the room. It wasn’t a sound that a normal human could make, but the tones it held certainly sounded it. And upon looking around, they realized that it was Neku, who was howling in a way that almost sounded like singing.

Joshua listened to Neku with a smile, enjoying the tune and melody of the howling.

“Wooooow! So pretty!” Kana chirped as the okami finally stopped.

“…better?”

“Huh?”

Neku sighed softly. “I asked; feeling better?”

“Uh… yeah, I guess…?” Kana murmured, a small confused frown on her face.

Joshua chuckled, and looked at Kana. “When Neku howls, it’s either to communicate or, as this case was, to sing,” he explained.

“Ooooh! That’s so cool!” Kana chirped happily.

“…hm.”

Ellie blinked curiously as she regarded the okami. She could’ve been mistaken, but she almost could’ve sworn she saw him smiling for a brief moment…

Joshua laughed softly, and then went to join Neku. “We’d better leave before anyone in the village notices we’re here…” he murmured.

“Awww…” Kana whined. However, she didn’t make a fuss this time.

“Joshua…” Ellie called out before they could leave. As he turned to her, Ellie moved forward and gave him a hug. “Please, never forget that we love you, sweetie. Okay?”

“I know, Mother,” Joshua whispered. “I love you, too.”

Neku merely watched it all happen, his tail swaying lightly behind him. Other than that, he said nothing.

Noboru then stepped over to Neku, and held out a hand to him, silently offering his blessing to him. Neku blinked at the gesture, glancing up to Noboru in question. After a brief glance at Joshua, though, he held out his own hand, though he still remained vigilant.

Noboru took Neku’s hand and shook it, murmuring, “I trust you to take care of him.”

Though the gesture seemed to slightly startle the okami, he didn’t say anything on the matter. “…of course I will…” he said under his breath.

Once Noboru released Neku’s hand, he looked at Joshua. “I’ll miss you, son,” he sighed.

“I know, Father, and I’ll miss you all, too, but… I think I’ll be plenty preoccupied while with Neku,” Joshua smiled slightly, a brief look of longing in his eyes as he looked at his bonded briefly.

Neku tilted his head briefly -- before his ears snapped up as a howl echoed from the forest.

“…!!”

“Who is it?” Joshua asked with a concerned frown.

“…we have to go, NOW!” Neku said instead of answering, bolting for the exit almost immediately.

Joshua flashed his parents an apologetic look before running off after Neku as fast as he could. “Dammit, Neku, I can’t run as fast as you!”

As soon as he came outside, Neku shifted into okami form, crouching down to let Joshua get on. And the moment he’d climbed on, the redhead bolted off, disappearing from the village before any of the sleepy villagers even realized they’d been there.

Joshua clung to Neku’s back, wondering what on earth had happened to make Neku panic like this.

 

Neku ran faster than he’d ever run before, dashing through the forest so fast that the trees whizzed by in a blur. However, the route they went was still a familiar one to the human. As soon as Joshua realized they were going to the temple, they arrived, and Joshua slid off the okami’s back to wait for him outside by the fountain like last time.

Neku briefly nodded to Joshua as he shifted back, before he hurried after the other okami that were rushing into the temple almost desperately.

Joshua sighed sadly as he realized this meant the elder was dying. He hoped that the okami didn’t suffer too greatly during his illness, at least… As he waited for Neku’s return, he looked about, hoping to spot Azura.

However, as he sat there looking, he picked up something else; singing.

“ _You are the ocean’s grey waves…_ ”

Standing, the silverette began to seek out the source.

“ _Destined to seek, life beyond the shore, just out of reach…_ ” the voice sang, as Joshua followed it into a lone side room, where he found Azura, standing within the very center, seeming to pray. “ _Yet the waters ever change… flowing like time… the path is yours to climb…_ ”

Suddenly, she stopped and turned in alarm, as if startled awake.

“Sorry! Did I scare you?” Joshua apologized as he joined her.

“A little… I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here yet…” Azura admitted.

“Yeah, Neku was running like a bat out of hell, he was going that fast,” Joshua chuckled, sitting beside her. “How have you been?

“As well as I can,” she said with a soft smile, as one hand rested lightly on her stomach.

Joshua looked at her hand as it rested on her stomach, and realized she had put on a little weight. Which he immediately took to mean one thing… “Azura… Are you pregnant?” the smaller male asked, sounding excited.

Azura giggled. “I am,” she confirmed, before her expression sobered. “That alone will already a load off the okami’s shoulders… They had almost believed me unable to bear young…”

Joshua smiled brightly, happy for his friend. “I’m very happy for you, Azura. Congratulations. I’ll pray for you two to have a healthy child,” he told her happily.

Azura smiled warmly, nodding her thanks, before the sound of howling began to resound through the temple. “Ah…”

“I guess the elder has passed…” Joshua murmured, vaguely managing to pick Neku’s howl out of the pack.

“Yes…” Azura confirmed softly as they listened to the okami’s howls.

After a while though, the howls shifted into a by now familiar tune to Joshua. And by the time he realized that, Azura had shut her eyes and began to sing. The same song she’d been singing earlier, and perfectly in tune with the okami’s howling.

The silverette lightly hummed the tune in sync with the howls, seeing as he didn’t know the words to Azura’s song.

 

Neku had never experienced the death of an elder before; he’d always known the current elder as the only one, and he’d been convinced that he would be there until the end of his life. But life didn’t work that way, he had realized quickly. Some people leave you far too quickly, and while others did it slowly, those vastly older than you would swiftly depart from your life whether they had permission or not.

He’d never met the elder too much, save for during meetings, so he’d been sure he could hold himself together when his time came. But there was something about the moment that the elder addressed them in those last few moments, where he told them to stay strong and to watch out for each other, for everyone in the pack, that struck a chord with him. And then, as he breathed out his last, his bonded, a woman he’d never even heard the name of, laid herself by his side and she smiled, murmuring into the elder’s ear, even if he couldn’t hear her, before she shut her eyes and spoke no more.

“I’ll be with you soon, love…”

Something about that just… hit him so hard that he couldn’t help but howl , joining the others in a mournful cry for their lost leader.

They all remained there, surrounding the elder’s body and that of his bonded, and then, as their howls finally died down, Amane stepped up to his father, paying his last respects, before he arched his neck and howled. But it was different this time; it was their anthem that he howled, and one by one, the okami in the room joined in, singing to the heavens to release their anguish and to, at the same time, celebrate the ascension of their new elder.

 

Once the song had come to an end, Azura rose to her feet and gestured for Joshua to do the same, before they walked back to the fountain area. Joshua followed after Azura, and as they walked, the fleeting thought of how Neku and he would have a child floated through his mind as he gazed at Azura’s slight bump.

As she sat down by the fountain, Azura noticed the look and she smiled softly. “Still thinking of that?”

“Yeah, just a bit,” Joshua murmured, lowering his gaze. “I’m just not sure if Neku would be ready for anything like that…”

Azura smiled softly as she reached out and ruffled Joshua’s hair. “Don’t worry; even if he isn’t ready for it now, he will be.”

“I know… I just…I want to be with him, more than just emotionally or through the bond… I just don’t know how to tell him,” the teen sighed.

Azura nodded softly in understanding as she pulled the teen against her in a hug. Joshua hugged her back, grateful for the comfort, but his heart wished it was Neku instead.

“Give it five days,” Azura whispered suddenly.

This made Joshua blink, surprised. “How do you know?” he asked quietly.

“Because then the moon will be at its highest. Trust me; five days is all you need to hold out for.”

“Okay. I trust you, Azura. But what does the moon have to do with it?” Joshua inquired.

Azura merely giggled. “You’ll see…” was all she offered.

The smaller male pouted at her words, but then perked up when the okami began to emerge from the temple. Azura rose from her seat slowly as Neku walked out, a solemn expression on his face.

Joshua stood as well, watching his bonded closely for any sign of upset or anything. “Are you okay?” he asked softly, approaching the redhead.

“…yeah…” the okami murmured softly with a small nod.

“Okay. Ready to go home?” Joshua asked, feeling a pleasant tingle in him at the thought of calling Neku’s home his as well.

Neku nodded and headed out with Joshua right behind him, not noticing the small smile Azura gave them as her bonded walked up to her.

“…why are you so happy?” he asked her.

“Oh. Nothing,” Azura giggled. “Just thinking of the future. That’s all.”

“…uh-huh… right.”

 

Neku finally stopped as they arrived at the house, lightly pushing the door open.

Joshua slid off Neku’s back, heading inside and waiting until Neku shifted back before speaking. “I don’t know about you, but getting up early to sneak into town this morning has caught up to me,” he sighed, yawning.

Neku chuckled softly. “Right… let’s get some rest then, huh?”

“Yeah,” the teen nodded, heading for the pillows.

As they reached the stack, Neku wordlessly hopped on and moved to the top, where he proceeded to curl up. Joshua joined him, albeit a little slower, and curled up with Neku. As Joshua got comfy, Neku yawned widely, before he curled around the human, his hands curling into his shirt and his legs supporting the boy’s back.

Joshua smiled slightly in his tiredness, and as he fell asleep, inhaling Neku’s warm scent with every breath, he really hoped that the next five days would pass quickly.


	10. The moon's effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the moon rises high, something changes in their relation.

Despite Joshua’s wish, time passed much slower than he would’ve liked, but since a lot of the first days were spent just lazing in the fields, they seemed almost twice as long. By the third day, Joshua had persuaded Neku to help make him a few things to pass the time, which the redhead seemed to be pretty good at.

He carved a shogi set so they could play a few games every so often, though they did spend a day to go over the rules. He also made a koto, which took some effort as he had to weave a few strings.

Which brought Joshua’s attention to the loom Neku had stashed away. His mother’s, apparently. Which, in turn, led to Neku teaching Joshua to weave, as well.

Like that they spent their days lazily, and before Joshua knew it, five days had come and gone…

 

“…? What’s wrong?” Neku asked curiously as he noticed Joshua poking at his food.

“It’s nothing,” the teen assured him as he took a bite. He really wanted to believe what Azura had told him, but he was beginning to lose faith because of the time.

“You sure…?” Neku asked with a small frown.

“Definitely,” Joshua nodded, forcing a small smile. Hopefully something would change by tonight…

Neku obviously didn’t believe him, but he didn’t say anything, as he instead focused on his meal again.

Joshua gave an internal sigh, but forced himself to finish his meal so as not to worry his bonded further. After eating, the pair curled up together on the pillows.

As Neku curled around Joshua, though, he wondered silently what was wrong. His bonded had been acting strangely all day, but whenever he was questioned on it, he’d just wave it off as it being nothing. Of course, he knew it wasn’t ‘nothing’, but he had no proof as to what else it COULD be.

After just lying there for a while, he decided to just drop the matter… mainly because his bonded had just fallen asleep.

Snorting softly with a small smile on his face, he finally shut his eyes and let himself doze off.

 

When Joshua woke up, it was still night, and Neku was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, Joshua got up and began to look for him, soon spotting him outside. For some reason, Neku was standing by the edge of the lake, staring up to the full moon in silence, his tail swaying lightly behind him.

“Neku? Are you okay?” Joshua asked, walking over to him.

Neku, however, didn’t respond to the call, though his ear did twitch in Joshua’s direction (briefly).

“Neku…?” the silverette repeated, softer this time, and moved to stand in front of his bonded.

Even then, Neku didn’t reply; his attention was completely drawn to the full moon above him, which was reflected almost eerily upon his pupils.

“Neku…you’re worrying me… What’s going on?” Joshua questioned, concerned.

“……”

Tentatively, Joshua reached out and placed his hand on Neku’s shoulder, trying to snap him out of his little trance.

At the touch, Neku finally blinked and dropped his gaze to Joshua. His eyes were half shut, and the pupils were dilated until they covered the entire iris. It made it seem like he was daydreaming more than anything.

“N…Neku…?” the teen uttered worriedly.

“……”

Before Joshua could speak again, though, Neku reached out and -- for some reason -- wiped Joshua’s bangs out of his eyes. The smaller male’s eyes widened at the touch, surprised. But Neku didn’t offer an explanation and instead just regarded Joshua in silence.

“Neku? Are you okay?” Joshua asked, wondering what on earth was going on with the okami.

“…”

Again, Neku didn’t respond, though his tail gave a sharp flick at the air.

“Neku…you’re starting to worry me…”

“…”

Sighing, the teen murmured: “Come on, Neku, let’s go back sleep, okay?” As he spoke, he grabbed Neku’s hand to lead him back into the house.

Neku didn’t object, and merely let Joshua guide him back inside.

“Let’s go back to sleep, okay?” Joshua told his bonded softly, leading him back to the pillows.

However, the moment they reached the pillows, Neku suddenly pounced, pinning the human down against the pile of fluff.

“Neku?!” Joshua yelped, startled by the sudden action as he stared up at the okami with wide violet eyes.

Neku didn’t say anything in response. He merely looked down at the human, his tail snapping at the air slightly. The silverette squirmed in Neku’s hold, attempting to break free of the pin. He didn’t know why Neku was acting like this, but hopefully he would snap out of it soon.

However, the okami’s grip was firm and didn’t allow him to break free. But before he could say anything, Neku lowered himself until he was almost pressed up entirely against his bond. Joshua stiffened a bit, but then relaxed instinctively as he inhaled Neku’s warm scent that was almost smothering him. In a good way, of course.

For a long moment, Neku stayed like that, unmoving, before he suddenly closed the distance and locked their mouths together fiercely. Shocked, Joshua didn’t respond immediately, but soon began to kiss the redhead back, his eyelids sliding shut.

Humming softly, Neku moved his head into a better angle, licking and nibbling on the shorter male’s bottom lip. This made the smaller male moan softly, before parting his lips to allow Neku entry. And with a small, possessive growl, Neku slipped his tongue in and began to explore every inch of his bond’s mouth.

Joshua slid his tongue along Neku’s, moaning into the okami’s mouth as he felt himself begin to harden. The moan actually made the redhead growl even fiercer, before he pressed himself flush up against the teen, hands slipping to the edges of his shirt.

The silverette shivered at the touch, lifting his arms and allowing his bonded to remove his shirt without any resistance. After tossing the cloth aside, Neku immediately began to bite and suckle along the bared skin, raking his long nails along Joshua’s side.

The scraping of Neku’s nails on his skin drew a soft gasp and whimper from Joshua, not used to feeling the okami’s nails on him. However, Joshua soon found the slight pain to be even… pleasurable. He gripped Neku’s upper arms tightly as a silent plea for more.

With a fierce growl, Neku reached for the silverette’s pants, and began to pull the cloth away. Joshua lifted his hips to aid Neku in removing his pants, and then rolled his hips against his bonded’s, teasing him.

This made the okami hiss a bit at the sudden motion, before he snapped his eyes to face Joshua, a noise like a snarl rumbling from his throat, before he abruptly flipped Joshua over onto his stomach.

The teen remained like that, despite wanting to look at his bonded as he was fucked, more than likely mercilessly at this rate. He did, however, look back at the okami to gaze directly into his eyes.

Neku was, by now, gasping for breath, his eyes wild and dark, before he moved in and began to bite and suck along the small part of Joshua’s throat that he could reach from that angle, while his fingers slipped down and pushed past the twitching muscle it found. Joshua whined pitifully at the stretching, just wanting to feel his bonded inside of him.

Neku growled against the skin as he moved down to Joshua’s shoulder, twisting his fingers along his bonded’s passage with his nails lightly scraping along the inner walls. The smaller male suddenly cried out as Neku’s fingers brushed along something inside of him, causing him to shudder heavily beneath the redhead.

This made Neku let out something like a purr, before he pulled away, swiftly discarding his own clothes, before he, without warning, slipped inside of the smaller male.

The sudden entry had Joshua parting his lips in a silent cry as he attempted to force himself into adjusting to Neku’s cock quickly. “N… Neku…!” he whimpered out, wanting to hold or be held by his bonded.

As if sensing the teen’s distress, Neku reached out and grabbed hold of his hand, linking his own with it as he planted wet, sloppy kisses along the back of his neck.

The silverette shivered as he soon adjusted to Neku’s girth, eventually whispering: “Fuck me, Neku…”

The moment he was given the okay, the okami pulled out, and very nearly slammed back in, immediately setting a swift, powerful rhythm. This tore a startled but pleasured cry from Joshua’s throat, but he was quickly moaning and mewling loudly beneath his bonded.

Neku’s hand on Joshua’s tightened as he continued to slam into him with reckless abandon, his other hand on the teen’s ass and squeezing it tightly. Joshua screamed as he was almost thrown over the edge with the overwhelming amount of pleasure he was receiving.

Neku growled and snarled as he felt his bonded tighten considerably around his cock, a whimper threatening to spill out. However, before the sound could manifest itself properly, he moved down and sunk his teeth into the teen’s neck hard enough to draw blood.

Joshua gave a choked cry before screaming Neku’s name as he came, tightening around his now lover’s cock.

This time Neku couldn’t hold back a whimper, and as his hands tightened their hold on Joshua, he let out something that was a mix between a whine and a howl as his own climax hit him.

The silverette shuddered heavily around Neku as the okami’s cum filled him, and he gave his own weak whimper. Neku groaned heavily, before he collapsed on Joshua’s back, barely managing to roll  them over onto their side.

Joshua gave a soft sound of content as Neku held him, managing to press himself closer to his bonded. He had been wanting this for a while now, but it seemed to have gone by much too fast. Hopefully next time Neku would be more willing to drag things out a bit…

Neku murmured something in his sleep, before his arms curled further around the human’s waist firmly.

Knowing this night was over for now, the smaller male allowed himself to drift off in the okami’s loving hold.

 

As the morning rolled in, Joshua was, once again, alone.

Upon finding himself alone, Joshua felt saddened that his bonded hadn’t stayed with him the whole time. Rather than mope, however, the teen got up carefully, feeling the strong twinges of pain from last night shoot through his spine. He then proceeded to search for Neku, soon finding him outside by the lake again.

“Neku?” he called softly.

Neku’s ear twitched in Joshua’s direction and he turned to his bond for a moment from where he was sitting. However, he quickly looked away again and looked ahead. But before Joshua could walk over…

“…maybe you should dress first before coming out… it’s chilly out here…”

Joshua felt disappointed at the comment and the reaction he got from the redhead, almost as though Neku didn’t want to look at him, but went back and carefully got dressed, trying not to aggravate the pain from last night. Once he was dressed again, the smaller male gave a small, resigned sigh before heading out to see Neku.

Neku didn’t look up as Joshua walked over and carefully settled down next to him, though his tail flicked out at the air.

Finally though…

“…sorry…”

The silverette frowned, confused about the sudden apology. “Neku, the only thing that I didn’t like with last night was you seeming like you were in a trance. Otherwise, I loved it. So why are you sorry?”

“…that’s… that’s because…” Neku tried to say, but his words failed him. After a moment of thought, he finally managed to get the words out. “…I hurt you, didn’t I…?”

“I’m just sore from it, which I know is normal,” the silverette smiled. “But otherwise, you were fine. A little rushed, but…it felt really good to have you inside of me…” the last bit was mumbled, the teen’s face crimson.

Neku peeked out from under his bangs, still not fully turning to face Joshua. “…really?”

“Yes,” Joshua nodded, scooting closer to Neku. “I wanted to tell you sooner that I wanted you to take me, but I didn’t know how…”

Neku blinked a bit at that, turning his head slightly to Joshua. “You have…?”

“Of course,” Joshua murmured. “You’re an amazing person, Neku. I can’t bear to imagine being bonded to anyone else, because I love you.” He blushed at the last part, but looked at Neku anyway.

Those words obviously startled Neku, if his expression and ears were anything to go by. For a moment, he seemed almost relieved, but then he turned serious. “…that’s just the bond talking…” he murmured, looking away.

“Neku… It’s not. I haven’t told you because I wasn’t sure how you’d take it,” the smaller male replied, scooting closer to the okami. “Was it just the bond and the moon last night? If it was, then you wouldn’t have been concerned for my well-being this morning.”

Neku glanced over briefly, but before he could say anything…

“Oh you’d be surprised, **brat**.”

The voice instantly had Neku’s ears shooting up in alarm as he whirled around.

Joshua looked about, terrified, wondering what was going on.

After a moment of glancing around, the pair’s attention was drawn to a tall, muscular okami in human form with long, red hair that hung down his back and covered his left, icy blue eye. The man was glaring as he leaned against a nearby tree.

“B-brother…!”

As soon as the word registered in his head, Joshua stared at Neku in shock. He had no idea his bonded had a brother…

The much taller okami pushed off from the tree and stalked over solemnly, a cold glare in his eye.

“These ‘bonds’ have made us do stupid, crazy, even suicidal things before… and for what? Companionship? Psh…” the man snorted coldly. “Why should we even bother, anyway? When your kind can so easily find replacements for your own companion if you’re left alone? Why should WE sacrifice everything?!”

“Brother, please…!” Neku hissed softly.

Joshua’s gaze lowered to the ground, tears beginning to burn in his eyes. Neku’s brother was right, especially when Neku seemed to believe that Joshua’s love for him was only due to the bond. The redhead could find someone better for him, someone who isn’t human…

The silverette stood and headed inside, slamming the door behind him in his hurt state.

“Joshua!” Neku shouted, before he cursed and stood up. “What the fuck, Kurasa?! There was no need to--”

“That brat’d do well to know the truth about his own kind,” the older redhead snarled angrily. “There’s no need for this facade… We’d all be better off without ‘em!”

“But that’s never going to work and you know it won’t! If none of us bond with humans then--”

“So what?!” the taller man nearly shouted. “It’s better than the alternative!”

Neku tried to speak again, possibly in rebuttal, but then decided better of it and snarled. “You know what?! Fine!! Do whatever! Go ahead and die alone then, you jerk!”

With those words said, Neku spun around and ran into the house as well, not caring that his brother merely snorted angrily before stalking off again.

 

When Neku entered, Joshua was curled up in a ball on the pillows in the house, not knowing what he should do now. All he could do at the moment was wallow in self pity. Tears streamed freely down his cheeks as he sobbed, and the main thing that ran through his mind was that Neku didn’t love him. It hurt so badly to feel unrequited love for his bonded, making his heart ache horribly.

“…Josh…?” Neku called out as he approached the sobbing teen.

Being bonded, he could feel the same pain that he did, and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. And even though he didn’t really understand it at first, it took him only a moment to figure it out.

“Josh… hey…” he called out, lightly prodding Joshua’s back with his fingers.

The smaller male flinched at the touch, curling further in on himself as another sob escaped him.

“Hey… c’mon…” Neku murmured, moving over behind him and lightly tugged on his shoulder. “Look at me…”

“…Why…? You don’t love me back… Your brother is right… You said it yourself when I told you…I love you… that it was just the bond speaking…” Joshua whimpered, pulling away from the okami’s touch.

“…Joshua…” Neku started, but then he fell silent as he sighed softly and laid down behind the human. “…I never said I didn’t…”

“But you said--”

“Because it’s happened before…” Neku interrupted. “Humans… they fall in love and then out of it… and it’s happened when a human in love… was taken by one of us because they were bonded… Despite her love for the other human, when given the choice… she didn’t pick him…”

“But I’m not that human!” Joshua snapped. “I’ve never felt like this before! You can’t base my feelings off of someone else’s!”

“I know that! I’m not saying you are… I’m just… explaining why I said what I said… I probably shouldn’t have… I’m sorry…”

Joshua was quiet, trying desperately to not start crying more. A small whimper escaped him, however, and he rolled over quickly to press himself against his bonded. “I just… It hurts so bad, Neku…” he whined against the okami’s chest.

“I know…” Neku whispered, curling his arms around the human, running a hand through his hair, with his other resting along his back. “I know… it’s okay now… it’s okay…”

The teen couldn’t stay mad at Neku, he just couldn’t. He allowed himself to be held and comforted by the redhead, subconsciously enjoying every touch he received from the okami.

Finally, after almost half an hour, Neku asked softly: “Better?”

Joshua nodded slowly, nuzzling Neku’s chest in the process.

“Good…” Neku murmured softly, still running his hand through Joshua’s hair.

The silverette was enjoying the touch, but even though he found it nice, he wanted more from Neku. First, though…

“You worried me a bit last night,” he mumbled.

“…yeah, sorry… I forgot, okay?” the redhead mumbled.

“Apparently. It was just weird to see you in a trance or whatever like that,” Joshua giggled slightly. “But I loved the rest.”

“Well… good, I guess…”

Internally rolling his eyes, Joshua decided to be a BIT more obvious. He rolled his hips smoothly against Neku’s, and whispered, “Your cock is amazing, you know~”

Neku choked at the motion, looking at the human in surprise, before he smirked and swiftly pinned Joshua again. “And just where did you pick up THAT lingo, huh?”

“I just speak the truth,” Joshua giggled, enjoying the feeling of being pinned.

“Do you, huh?” the okami purred, before he moved in and kissed his bonded deeply.

Joshua moaned softly into the kiss, parting his lips to allow his bonded entry. He had been wanting to be intimate with Neku again right after the first time. He had honestly hoped to wake up that morning to Neku still being horny and wanting to fuck him right away. But he’ll still take what he can.

After breaking away, Neku swiftly removed Joshua’s top and then latched on to his collarbone, nipping and sucking at the skin there. The silverette gasped and shuddered, feeling himself begin to harden fully from Neku’s attention to his collarbone.

While his lips worked on his collarbone, Neku let his fingers slide up along the teen’s chest. Before Joshua had the chance to wonder, though, his fingers flicked across his nipples. Immediately, a groan tore itself from Joshua’s throat.

Chuckling softly, Neku repeated the motion, more firmly this time. Joshua cried out, a needy whimper escaping him as he stared at Neku. A small smirk played over Neku’s face as he began to kiss his way down, a rumbling moan rolling from his throat. Shocks of pleasure ran through the silverette with every kiss Neku pressed to his skin.

And just then, it only got better as Neku closed his mouth around Joshua’s left nipple. Joshua gave a pleasured cry, and then whimpered loudly as he felt the okami’s tongue swirling around the nub. As Neku suckled along the hardening nipple, his hand slipped up and began toying with the other, tugging and twisting lightly.

The teen squirmed at the myriad of pleasurable sensations coursing through him, digging his short nails into Neku’s shoulders.

Purring in amusement, Neku then abruptly bit down and pinched his nails along the teen’s nipples.

“Ahh!!” Joshua yelped, shuddering heavily as he felt his release approach.

As if sensing that, Neku suddenly pulled back.

Joshua whined pitifully at the loss, gazing at Neku with lust-darkened violet eyes.

“Yes?” the okami purred teasingly.

“Fuck me, Neku…!” Joshua panted. “Please…!”

“Oh, NOW we’re in a rush, huh?” Neku chuckled as he moved in and kissed his bonded again, beginning to work on his bottoms.

Joshua broke away, giving Neku an indignant look. “Unless you want me to cum too early, then fuck me,” he growled.

This made the redhead chuckle. “Fair enough,” he murmured, briefly wetting his fingers in saliva, before he brought them down and slipped the first digit in.

The intrusion had Joshua giving a soft gasp, and he squirmed a little as he tried to adjust. It didn’t take long thanks to their antics during the night, thank god, and he was soon moaning. When he did, Neku was quick to push in the next one. The smaller male shivered, but moaned anyway, wanting more.

After briefly pushing in the third and letting him adjust to that, Neku pulled away, before he discarded his own clothes and moved into position.

Joshua gave a soft whine at the empty sensation when the fingers were removed, but he soon relaxed at the familiar heat of Neku’s cock at his entrance. “I love you, Neku,” he breathed as he wrapped his arms around the okami’s neck, pulling him close.

Neku merely smiled as he moved in to press their mouths together, just before he snapped his hips forward. This made Joshua release a loud moan that was muffled by Neku’s lips over his, while his arms instinctively tightened their grip around Neku’s neck in response.

After a moment of letting Joshua adjust, Neku pulled away, licked once at the teen’s throat, and then began to move.

The smaller male couldn’t prevent the moans and mewls that fell from his lips at each thrust from his bonded. And with each thrust, the sounds became louder and higher in pitch. The okami chuckled, though it was labored due to his own gasps for breath, as he reached over and then lifted up Joshua’s legs high. And then he abruptly upped his pace.

A choked cry escaped Joshua at the sudden change in angle and pace, as Neku had struck his prostate. “There, Neku!” he gasped.

A breathy laugh escaped the redhead as he briefly adjusted his position, and slammed in even harder than before. And Joshua gave a pleasured shriek, clenching around his lover’s cock in warning of his approaching release. He reached out to Neku, wanting to hold or be held by his bonded as they fucked.

Neku groaned at the tightness of his bonded, his own release close behind. With a small possessive growl, he ducked his head down and locked their mouths together, though he never stopped moving. Joshua moaned against Neku’s lips, trembling as his dick leaked before the inevitable. Just as suddenly, though, Neku pulled away, and then snapped his fangs shut on Joshua’s throat, marking him.

Joshua then gave a piercing scream of ecstasy, clenching tightly around Neku’s cock as he came, his cum spattering on their stomachs.

Neku hissed at the tightness, his tail snapping back and forth twice, before he gave a small howl as his own release hit him, filling up the human beneath him.

This made the teen shudder heavily around his lover, enjoying being filled with his bonded’s cum.

After a moment more, Neku exhaled and moved back, before he laid down next to Joshua.

Joshua smiled softly, cuddling up to the okami. “I told you, your cock is amazing…” he whispered, leaning up to kiss Neku’s jaw.

“…you’re an idiot…” Neku mumbled with a small smile, tugging the human close,

“Your idiot,” the teen retorted, closing his eyes tiredly.

“Oh, and you’re calling ME lazy?” Neku chuckled softly.

“Never said that,” Joshua argued softly.

“But you were thinking it,” Neku purred out.

“Just sleep, Neku. And be here when I wake up this time, please?” Joshua pleaded quietly.

“Heh… sure, whatever…” Neku mumbled softly.

“Thank you…love you, Neku,” Joshua whispered sleepily, falling asleep in the hold of his bonded.

“Idiot…” Neku murmured with a smile, before he curled around his bonded as well. “…mm… love you, too…”

 

When Joshua woke next, it was later in the day, and Neku was, thankfully, still lying on the pillows with him. It made the silverette happy to know Neku had stayed, and not only that, but he had said he loved him. Just the memory alone made Joshua’s heart flutter.

“…mmm…” Neku groaned a bit, before he blinked his eyes open.

“Hey,” the silverette murmured, kissing Neku’s chin.

“Hmm? Oh… hey…

“You okay?” Joshua asked softly, enjoying the feel of Neku’s bare skin on his.

“…that should be my question…” Neku mumbled.

“I feel amazing,” the teen giggled, nuzzling the okami’s chest.

“And hungry, I’m betting…” Neku chuckled.

Right on cue, Joshua’s stomach growled. “Damn, you’re good,” he laughed lightly. “Don’t wanna move, though. You’re warm and comfy.”

The redhead allowed a small laugh. “Well, I’m gonna have to if you want to eat anything.”

The smaller male pouted, but allowed his bonded to get up, sitting up on the pillows to watch him as he went to the kitchen.

After tugging on his pants again, the okami began working in the kitchen to fix their breakfast, with his tail lightly flicking at the air in tune with his steps. And Joshua wondered why he’d never noticed him doing so before...

“Hey Neku?” Joshua said as he watched the slight muscles in Neku’s back shift under his skin while bending down to grab something. “How come you never mentioned having a brother?”

“…I guess it wasn’t important…”

“But why would he show up like that? He obviously hates humans…” the teen sighed.

“…I’m not sure,” Neku admitted as he started up the fire. “He just does what he likes, really…”

“Huh…” Joshua uttered, unsure of what else to say.

Neku sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “…He’s just really bitter… that’s why he left the pack, too…”

“Wait, he’s not in the pack? Then how is he able to live here without anyone becoming territorial with him? And why is he so bitter?” Joshua frowned, confused.

“Pff… coz no one can catch him… he’s always been faster than anyone…” Neku snorted as he finished the two bowls of ramen, dousing the fire before he walked over and handed one to Joshua. “Get a blanket before you spill any.”

“Thanks,” the teen murmured, covering himself with a blanket before gently blowing on the steam emanating from the ramen. “But…is he bitter because of what happened? Or because of something else?”

“…don’t tell Azura I said this, a’ight? Or Amane, for that matter…”

“Okay, but what?” Joshua asked worriedly.

“…Amane… was with my brother before he found her…”

“What? Wha-”

“Yeah… like THAT…” Neku mumbled. “But when Azura came into the picture… well… you can imagine what happened…”

“Oh god…” the silverette breathed as the situation dawned on him. “Well, I can’t say I blame him, but he should at least TRY to understand…”

“Unfortunately… Kurasa holds very long grudges…” Neku sighed out.

“That’s sad. He’s obviously jealous. Why would he have a relationship with anyone if he’s not bonded?”

“Well… there’s still the matter of our parents being killed by humans, so he doesn’t care much for them…” Neku admitted. “And since Azura… well… it’s only gotten worse…”

Joshua sighed heavily. “Well, maybe if he does eventually find his bond, that might help. After all, it did help you with me,” he pointed out with a smile at his bonded.

“Maybe… I dunno…”

“Well it’s not like he can kill his bonded unless he wants to die, too,” the smaller male said pointedly.

“I wouldn’t say that… he’s said before that it’d be ‘better than the alternative’…”

“We’ll see about that…” Joshua muttered into his bowl, sipping at the broth.

Neku merely shrugged as he finished his own food.

Once he finished his food, Joshua leaned back on the pillows, before deciding a little ‘exercise’ would do them good. He waited until Neku was lying back with his eyes closed, and then quietly moved to straddle him, gaining the okami’s attention.

“The heck?!” Neku yelped at the sudden weight. When he spotted Joshua, though, he snorted bemusedly. “…seriously?”

“Can’t blame me~ You’re good, and a little ‘exercise’ never hurt,” Joshua smirked.

“…you’re insatiable, you know that?” Neku chuckled, grabbing Joshua’s hips and pulling him flush up against him.

“I don’t hear you complaining,” the teen whispered against Neku’s lips.

“Cheeky,” Neku chuckled, before he pulled Joshua in for a possessive kiss, his other hand curling around the teen’s ass and squeezing firmly.

Joshua moaned into Neku’s mouth, gripping the okami’s upper arms tightly.

Moaning softly, Neku snapped his hips up against Joshua’s, while pulling the teen down. This had him gasping sharply, a needy whimper escaping him at the sudden stimulation. The smaller male smoothed his hands down his lover’s chest, and then tugged at his pants line. “Take ‘em off, Neku,” he purred, a little breathless.

Neku chuckled softly. “You’re in the better position, aren’t you?”

“Fair enough,” the teen nodded, and lifted himself briefly to swiftly remove the offending article of clothing. Pressing himself flush against his bonded right after, he whispered: “I love you, Neku,” right before kissing him lovingly.

Neku hummed softly as he let his hands trail across Joshua’s back, before slipping a finger inside his lover. The silverette shivered at the touches to his back. When the first digit entered him, he emitted a noise akin to a purr, already used to the feeling of being stretched.

After a moment of stretching, Neku slipped in the second, moving them in and out in a steady pace. Joshua rocked his hips back slightly in time with the motions of Neku’s hand, and he nipped at the okami’s bottom lip teasingly. Neku chuckled as he licked at the boy’s lip, before he pulled his fingers out again.

This drew a needy whine from the silverette due to the empty feeling. “Neku…!”

“If you want it so badly…” Neku purred, “then do something about it.”

Joshua pouted, but then gave a devilish smirk before impaling himself on his lover’s erect cock, an erotic moan escaping him at the filling sensation. The okami moaned as he adjusted his hold on the teen’s hips, his tail snapping to the side briefly, before he smirked and curled his fingers firmly along his hips.

Joshua smirked right back down at his bonded, and then began to lift and lower himself smoothly, riding Neku’s amazing cock.

Neku groaned softly, before his smirk widened, as he snapped his hips up as Joshua came down. Joshua cried out with pleasure as the angle and timing perfectly matched to strike his prostate JUST right. “H-holy f-f-fuck, Neku!!”

The okami merely chuckled breathlessly as he yanked Joshua down suddenly while snapping his own hips up, setting a fast, furious rhythm. The smaller male moaned and mewled louder and in a higher pitch with every thrust of Neku’s hips, his release swiftly approaching due to the overwhelming stimulation to his prostate.

Chuckling still, Neku released him with one hand and wrapped his hand around Joshua’s dripping cock, moving it in time with his thrusts. Without warning, Joshua came with a scream of pure ecstasy, his cum spattering into Neku’s hand as he clenched tightly around his lover at the same time.

Neku hissed before he let out a howl-like shout as his own release hit, his hand clenching momentarily on Joshua’s hip.

The smaller male whimpered pathetically as Neku’s cum filled him for the third time in less than a full day, something he felt he would never tire of feeling. Exhausted, he flopped over onto the okami, feeling breathless but oh so content at the same time.

For a long time, they just laid there, breathing heavily, before Neku curled his arms around his lover. “Better?”

“You have… no idea… how much… I enjoy you fucking me senseless,” Joshua panted. “I love…every second of it.”

“Oh I can imagine…” Neku chuckled softly, absently playing with the teen’s hair.

The okami’s bonded merely hummed happily in response, weakly wrapping his arms around the redhead’s neck. “…Neku?” he uttered after a few minutes, his voice slightly muffled by Neku’s chest.

“…hm?”

“…would you ever want a kid?” Joshua asked, blushing out of embarrassment. He almost felt stupid for asking.

“…this again?” Neku murmured softly. Before Joshua could say anything else, though… “…yeah… Eventually…”

“How…? I mean, we’re both guys, so how would we…?” the teen trailed off, knowing Neku would understand what he meant. Despite that, his blush darkened a bit.

“…I don’t know exactly how it works…” Neku admitted. “The elder normally oversees things like that… but since he’s… yanno… I guess Amane will have to take over…”

“Wait… Amane is the…?”

“Second born,” Neku murmured. “Ren didn’t find his bond in time… so the position of leader went to Amane.”

“Oh… Well, I guess we’ll have to ask him sometime,” Joshua murmured, though the last part was more to himself. “But there’s no rush,” he assured the redhead. “I’m happy like this~” And to emphasize his point, he snuggled closer to Neku, a content, post-coital look on his face. He still had Neku’s member in his ass, but strangely enough, it didn’t bother him. In fact, he liked it.

“Really? I couldn’t tell…” Neku purred as he let his hands slip down and squeeze his ass.

Joshua squeaked, surprised, but a breathy moan escaped him anyway, his eyelids sliding halfway closed.

Neku chuckled as he fondled both cheeks firmly, before he arched his hips up again, his hardening cock striking Joshua’s protate firmly.

The slight strike to his prostate had the silverette arching down against Neku’s chest automatically as he gasped, biting his bottom lip in an attempt to quiet himself. Neku chuckled as he began to nip along Joshua’s throat, beginning to move at a steady rhythm.

Joshua whimpered and whined at the attention to his throat, but as Neku moved inside of him, he shuddered, feeling his own member begin to harden. “N…Neku…” he stuttered in a breathy moan, moving his hands to the redhead’s chest, spreading his fingers out on the pale skin.

“Yeees?” Neku asked cheekily, letting his fingers tug at the boy’s entrance as he moved.

“F-faster…please…” the smaller male whined, shivering as he felt Neku’s fingers tracing his entrance. He arched against Neku much like a cat would arch to sharpen its claws on something.

The okami allowed a small chuckle, before he (marginally) increased the speed of his thrusts.

“Nekuuuuu…!” Joshua protested pathetically, pouting at his bonded with lust-darkened violet eyes. “Fuck me h-hard…please…!”

Laughing breathlessly, Neku adjusted his hands briefly, before he began to slam into his lover almost violently.

The sudden change in thrusts caused the teen to give a startled yet pleasured shriek, and his hands curled into tight fists against his okami’s chest as he moaned incessantly. Despite trying not to cum too quickly, however, it was thanks to Neku’s harsh thrusts into him and abusing his prostate that rapidly sent him over the edge. He gave a loud scream of ecstasy that trailed into an erotic but breathless moan as he clenched around Neku and came onto the okami’s stomach.

Neku hissed briefly, before he let out a long moan as his own cum filled up his bonded even more, his body briefly spasming, before he fell back against the pillows again.

Joshua twitched as Neku’s cum filled him completely, and he shivered almost violently as his okami’s seed actually began to leak out of his ass since there was so much in him. Finally feeling satisfied for the time being, Joshua nuzzled his lover’s chest and the hollow of his throat as he laid on top of him, occasionally pressing his lips to the pale skin.

Neku chuckled softly, pressing a brief kiss to the shorter’s temple, before he let himself doze off, his tail lightly wagging back and forth.


	11. Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neku and Joshua learn a few new things.

“Well, that took forever…” Neku grumbled as they returned home after the meeting.

Azura’s pregnancy was coming along swiftly, but given how long it had taken her to get pregnant, the pack had held a number of meetings to discuss her progress and what was to be done in the event that things went awry. Joshua had spent most of the meetings with Azura, just talking about the baby and who it would look like most.

Though Azura seemed oddly sure about the baby’s gender…

“Yeah, but I can’t help but be happy to see Azura again. She’s doing well with her pregnancy, it seems, and I’m happy for her,” Joshua replied, flopping onto the pillows. As he did, however, he thought of something. It was something he had noticed early on already, but he had not deemed it important before. “Hey Neku? Where do all of the female okami stay? I haven’t seen any attend the meetings at all.”

Neku hummed softly in question, before the question dawned on him. “Oh… That’s because there aren’t any.”

“Wait, what? Why not?” the silverette frowned.

“There just aren’t. Azura’s child? More than likely a boy. I’d honestly be shocked if it was a girl…”

Well that explained why Azura seemed so sure her baby was a boy…

“I take it that if Azura had a girl, she would be human, right?” Joshua guessed.

“Your guess is as good as mine…” Neku murmured as he walked over, handing Joshua a bowl of egg on rice. “It’s never actually happened before…”

“Really? That’s strange… I guess that explains why there aren’t really any issues of passing on young…” the teen murmured as he accepted the bowl with a nod of thanks to his lover. “Has a bonded woman ever had a human child? Or are they always born an okami?”

“To my knowledge, they’re always okami, and always male,” Neku explained as he settled next to Joshua. “It’s just always been that way.”

“Huh. Well, I just hope her baby is healthy, considering she and Amane had a hard time conceiving in the first place,” Joshua shrugged.

“Yeah… They actually had a lot of people on edge because they feared Amane wouldn’t be able to get heirs…” Neku mumbled, before taking a bite of his food.

“Well, if Amane and Azura hadn’t had an heir, and they passed, wouldn’t the next elder just be one of Amane’s bonded siblings?” Joshua asked curiously. He was genuinely interested to hear about this. Besides, it might help whenever they have a child, if Amane can figure out how and tell them.

“Technically… but that applies only if they cannot conceive within 10 years,” Neku explained casually.

“Geez… Well I’m just glad they were able to,” the teen murmured.

“Hmhmm…” Neku murmured as he finished up.

As silence filled the room, Joshua searched for a topic to fill it with. And, after a while, he found one he was genuinely curious about.

“Hey Neku? What was your mother like?” he asked softly after he’d finished eating.

“My mom?” Neku repeated curiously, before he paused to think. “…well… she was nice… kind… but I guess most mothers are…” His tail moved a bit behind him as he tried to think of something unique to his mother. “…oh yeah… apparently she sought us out to get eaten…”

“What?” Joshua asked with a laugh.

“Yeah, from what I understood, she’d escaped from someone who’d been… well, unpleasant to her, Dad called it… and then Dad found her and… well you can guess how that went…”

“Geez, well, at least your father got her out of there, with her willing or not,” the silverette murmured.

“Yeah, somehow…” Neku agreed.

“What about your father? What was he like?”

That made Neku snort and chuckle. “Dad? Dad was very protective of all of us… Mom especially. He never seemed scared of anything…” At that point he paused. “…but I think he might’ve been…”

“What do you mean?” the smaller male questioned, tilting his head cutely in question.

“I think… I think he was scared of losing us…” Neku admitted, as his tail lightly moved across the pillows. “Maybe that was why he was so protective…”

“Cant say I blame him, then,” Joshua commented. “No one wants to lose their family.”

“I guess…” As he said that, though, he frowned. “…wait, what if…?”

“What?”

“…what if… what if that’s why Brother was so mad…? It wasn’t just because he lost Mom and Dad… but because he’s losing everyone…?”

“But… he should be happy that you’ve got someone, considering how angry you used to be, not mad at the world,” Joshua replied, furrowing his brows.

“I know… it’s probably stupid to think that… but I can’t help it…”

“He’s your brother, so I don’t blame you for being concerned,” the silverette assured him. “After all, I wouldn’t like seeing any family of mine upset. And that includes you.”

Neku chuckled. “Heh… thanks…”

“Of course,” Joshua smiled, snuggling close to his bonded.

Neku allowed a smile, before he laid down on the pillows, tugging the teen down with him.

Joshua was more than willing to cuddle like this, and he nuzzled the okami’s shoulder as they laid there, occasionally kissing the skin there.

Neku hummed a bit as he curled around Joshua, breathing quietly as he shut his eyes.

Taking the hint, the smaller male stopped in his ministrations, and inhaled Neku’s comforting scent, lulling him to sleep.

 

As morning came, Neku blinked awake slowly, his ears twitching to and fro, before he lazily pushed up, yawning widely.

The motion jostled the okami’s bonded awake, and he groaned a little before opening his eyes and looking to Neku with a sleepy smile. “Morning,” he whispered.

“Mmm… Morning…” Neku mumbled as he climbed off the pillows. “…I thought…” Just then, his ears snapped up, as a howl floated in from outside. “…ah,” he murmured, before he headed for the back door.

“What’s going on?” Joshua asked, sitting up and watching Neku.

Standing by the door, Neku didn’t respond. He merely stood and listened. Finally, he howled back, tilting his head a few times to alter the pitch.

The teen pouted at the lack of response, but waited anyway.

“That was Amane,” Neku said suddenly as he walked over. “He wants to see us.”

“Oh, okay,” Joshua nodded, and got up from the pillows, heading to the door, where he then waited for Neku to shift.

After shutting the door, Neku shifted into full okami form and lowered himself for Joshua to get on. The silverette did so immediately, pressing himself close to Neku’s back and shoulders as he held onto him.

Neku nodded briefly, before he turned and rushed off quickly.

 

Before long, Neku slowed down as they reached the temple, before he lowered himself by the edge of the stairs.

Joshua slid off from his bonded’s back, and eyed the entrance to the temple. Hopefully no one would give him shit this time since Amane himself had asked for them.

After shifting back, Neku nodded to Joshua and began to head up the stairs ahead of him.

The teen was quick to follow, staying close to the okami.

Once they came to the fountain room, Neku took a few moments to look around, before he walked to the right, the opposite side of where meetings were usually held. And Joshua, although confused, followed Neku without a word.

Upon reaching a door at the end of the hall, Neku brought up a hand and knocked, twice.

“…Enter,” came a familiar voice, and Neku wasted no time in pushing the door open.

The silverette entered with Neku, still wondering what was going on. Had Amane possibly figured out how they could have a child? He _had_ promised to keep them informed… but this soon?

The room they stepped into was relatively basic, though a lot more luxurious than Neku’s house. The pillows were stacked neatly in the far corner, there was a large fire pit in the center with a tea kettle hanging over it, and it was decorated like the inside of any temple. Upon looking around, they quickly spotted Amane sitting by the fire, whereas Azura was still fast asleep along the stack of pillows, a blanket placed over her.

Joshua followed Neku over to Amane, dipping his head politely in greeting. Much as he wanted to say hello to Azura, he’d let her rest for the moment. After a nod from their new elder, Neku sat himself down in front of the fire. Once Joshua sat down next to him, he asked: “So… you figured something out?”

“…I have,” Amane confirmed. “Before we get to that, though…” The okami paused as he gestured for the kettle as it whistled. “Tea?”

“…Yeah, sure.”

“Yes, please. Thank you,” Joshua murmured, trying to contain his excitement at the information they would be gaining.

Amane stood then and moved around the room for a few moments, pouring three cups of tea for each of them. Once he sat down again, he still waited a few moments before speaking, though, and instead merely sipped his drink.

The silverette felt himself becoming antsy, but rather than act on it, he took a few sips of his tea. He didn’t want to get on the new elder’s bad side this early.

Finally though, Amane breathed out and regarded them quietly. “From what I was able to gather… the Spring of Origin should make it possible…”

Unable to help himself, Joshua asked: “What’s the Spring of Origin?”

“It is believed to be the place from which our kind originated,” Amane explained. “While we cannot prove this fact, there is no doubt that it is considered a sacred place for okami.”

“…I think I’ve heard of that before…” Neku murmured.

“Wow… And, not to be disrespectful, but how would it be able to help?” Joshua questioned timidly.

“I do not know how it works,” Amane admitted after taking another sip, “but our records show that this is what is used when an okami is bonded to one of the same gender, and that it works.”

“…sounds too good to be true, almost…”

“It’s worth a try, though, Neku,” Joshua murmured, putting his hand over one of Neku’s.

“…I suppose so… although…” Neku frowned, before turning to Amane. “What’s the catch?”

“The spring is only active once every 5 years,” Amane said simply.

“And how long do we have until it’s next active as of now?” the smaller male inquired.

“Two months,” was the answer to that.

Joshua blinked, surprised. So soon… But in his mind, it would be worth it.

“Hmm…” Neku hummed. “…how many others like us are there?”

“Hardly as many as you may think.”

“Really?” the teen blurted out. “I would think there would be more, considering there are no female okami…”

“While it is not uncommon… it is still rare enough that the number is small in comparison to the… ‘normal’ couples…”

“Huh… Well, I’m willing to give the Spring of Origin a shot if you are, Neku,” Joshua said, looking at his lover in question.

Neku looked over, seemingly thinking, before he smiled. “Heh… sure, we may as well… or we’ll be waiting five years.”

“True,” the silverette nodded. “Do you know where it is?”

“Right here,” Amane said suddenly, which made the pair look up at the other okami as he moved aside a curtain.

Beyond it, there rested a large cavern, filled with a glittering lake of pure blue water, surrounded by  two rows of cherry blossom trees.

“It’s beautiful…” Joshua whispered in awe, gazing at the pure lake.

“So… that’s where we gotta be in two months, huh?” Neku murmured softly.

“Correct.”

“Huh… not too shabby.

“Then we’ll be here,” the smaller male said firmly.

“Good. I will call when the day comes. Just be prepared to share,” Amane warned ahead of time.

“Understood,” Neku said with a nod.

“Right. Thank you, Amane,” Joshua told the elder gratefully.

“Shall we go home?” Neku asked then.

“Yeah, good idea,” Joshua nodded, and then looked to Amane. “Can you tell Azura I said hi, please?”

Amane nodded quietly, as he led the pair out of the room.

Once out of the room and outside the temple again, Joshua looked at Neku, a flutter of excitement running through him. “I’m so happy he managed to find out how we can have a child,” he told his bonded.

“Yeah, I can tell… you really want a child that bad?” Neku asked curiously.

“Well, I don’t know if I’m completely ready yet, but I know I don’t wanna wait 5 years,” the smaller male admitted.

“You sure?” Neku murmured as they descended the stairs. “Good things come to those who wait.”

“I know… I’m just not sure if I’ll have the patience to wait five years, though…” Joshua sighed.

“Fine, fine,” Neku chuckled softly, before he dropped down and shifted into full okami form.

Joshua climbed onto Neku’s back once he had lowered himself, and whispered into the lupine’s ear, “Thank you,” before gently scratching behind one of his furry ears.

Neku’s ear twitched briefly, and his tail snapped sideways for a moment, before he nodded and started off again.

 

Upon arriving back home, Neku paused just outside of the ‘bath’, seeming to think.

“What’s wrong?” the teen questioned, sitting up a bit on his bonded’s back.

Neku didn’t say anything, before he smirked cheekily, and then -- without warning -- leapt sideways… right into the water. Joshua yelped loudly as he fell into the water with his okami, and once he surfaced, he gave Neku an indignant look. While the water certainly wasn’t cold, it wasn’t a fun experience to be thrown into the water so suddenly.

Said okami merely shifted back into human form again, grinning at the human.

The smaller male pouted at Neku, but quickly slapped his hand along the water, splashing his lover right in the face without warning.

“Gah!” Neku yelped, frowning, before he smirked and whirled around, snapping his tail at the water and splashing Joshua in turn.

“Cheater!” Joshua accused, lunging at Neku and wrapping his arms around the okami’s neck.

Neku yelped, stumbling back -- before he fell down into the water, both of them disappearing below the surface. As this dawned on him, Joshua swiftly released the redhead, pulling him up with himself so they could both breathe.

After coughing briefly, Neku chuckled. “Smart…”

The remark made Joshua pout again, but regardless, he pressed himself flush against Neku, wrapping his arms around the okami’s neck and kissing him. Neku caught on quickly enough, wrapping his arms around Joshua’s waist and pulling him closer.

Joshua moaned quietly into the kiss when he was pulled closer, licking Neku’s bottom lip. With a deep moan, Neku moved to the more shallow area before settling down on his knees and pulling Joshua down with him.

Joshua instinctively wrapped his legs around Neku’s waist, rolling his hips against the okami’s as they kissed. That made Neku moan deeply, before his hands drifted down and grabbed his ass in both hands, nails digging into the skin.

The teen moaned low in his throat as Neku grabbed his ass, and then nipped at his lover’s bottom lip.

Neku chuckled softly as he opened his mouth, slipping his tongue into Joshua’s while his hands worked on dealing with his soaked clothes. Joshua assisted him in getting rid of his clothes, squirming out of them as Neku pulled them off. His tongue swirled along Neku’s in his mouth, and a soft moan escaped him into the okami’s mouth.

Purring loudly, Neku slipped one hand down and slipped two fingers inside with ease. Joshua’s breath hitched at the sudden entry, but soon moaned into Neku’s mouth, arching against his bonded.

Smirking softly, Neku adjusted his hold and began moving his fingers inside of his lover. The smaller male broke away with a small gasp and a shiver at the feeling, and whimpered pitifully in a wordless plea for more.

“Say it,” Neku breathed, arching his fingers. “Tell me what you want…”

Joshua wailed, arching against the okami as those sinful fingers brushed against his prostate. “FUCK ME, PLEASE, N-NEKU!!!” he cried out.

A throaty laugh rumbled from Neku’s throat as he pulled his fingers away and quickly undid his own pants. “As you wish,” he murmured, before he moved in.

The silverette threw his head back Neku entered him, lips parted in a silent cry as he stared at the sky, violet eyes wide and unseeing. This made his bonded chuckle softly as he moved back, and then slammed right back in again. The sudden slamming thrust snapped Joshua out of his little ‘trance’, and he cried out with pleasure, his hands gripping Neku’s shoulders tightly.

The okami smirked at the look on Joshua’s face, before abruptly upping the pace even further.

“AAHH!!!” Joshua wailed, shuddering heavily. His whole body trembled at the myriad of sensations within him.

“Hahah… you like that, huh?” Neku managed to get out amidst his gasps.

Joshua wasn’t even able to stutter out an answer, but the blissful, erotic expression on his face was plenty enough. The sight made Neku chuckle breathlessly, as he pulled Joshua up against him and latched onto his throat, biting and sucking.

At the added stimulation, Joshua clenched tightly around Neku’s cock before he came, HARD, onto his lover’s stomach in the water. “N…Nekuuuuuu!!!!” he screamed as his release hit.

Neku hissed, a brief growl escaping him, before he, reflexively, bit down even harder, piercing the skin as his own release hit him. The teen gave a small whine at the piercing bite, shivering as Neku’s hot seed filled him.

Once both had calmed down, Neku pulled out and away, though he did lick at the wound he’d left to stop the bleeding.

Joshua gave a light shiver at the licking, but otherwise remained limp. Eventually, he found his voice, despite it being incredibly hoarse. “…I love you, Neku…” he breathed, tilting his head a bit to give his bonded more room.

“Mmm…” Neku hummed, still licking lightly until he was finally satisfied. “Love you, too…”

The words made warmth bloom in Joshua’s heart, and he smiled softly. “Can we stay like this for awhile?” he asked quietly, cuddling closer and lowering himself so the okami could rest his chin on Joshua’s head.

“Heh… sure…” Neku murmured as he settled back quietly.

“Thank you,” Joshua whispered, lightly kissing Neku’s chest.

Neku smiled as he rested his hands on Joshua’s back, softly letting his fingers play along the skin.

Joshua gave a light shiver at the touch, feeling that Neku had too much power over him sometimes. An amusing thought, but it definitely didn’t go without acceptance.

“And here I thought you couldn’t get any MORE pathetic…”

At those sudden words, Neku tensed in alarm, his ears snapping up.

Joshua bristled at the familiar voice, and sat up in Neku’s lap, despite the lack of comfort his bonded provided. He glared irritably at Kurasa where he stood, wondering why his lover’s brother chose to pop up like this.

Neku didn’t allow Joshua to get far, though, keeping him close, just in case. “…What do you want, Brother?”

Kurasa snorted icily from his perch. However long he’d been there, he’d probably seen more than enough, if the look on his face was anything to go by. “What I want? Ch… Oh, I don’t know… perhaps I was simply hoping you’d woken up and realized what a fool you’re being.”

This made the younger okami frown, a small growl rumbling from his throat.

Joshua’s glare darkened, and he spat: “And maybe you’re just jealous and bitter of the happiness Neku has now.”

Kurasa snorted coldly. “Well, someone’s grown some backbone since last time…”

“Brother, why even come here? You know that if they find you…”

“Pft… Like they can ever catch me anyway…” the older okami snarled out.

“Don’t be so cocky…” Joshua huffed, still glaring at the older okami. “Otherwise it’ll bite you in the ass.”

“Uh-huh, right,” Kurasa snarled, obviously unimpressed by the warning.

“You never know; karma works in mysterious ways, and more often than not, she’s a bitch,” Joshua shrugged. He really hoped Kurasa would get what was coming to him, because he was already sick of the fool’s bitterness.

“Then I suggest you, too, watch your back, _human_ ,” the okami growled. “Who knows what accidents may befall one as frail as yourself in these woods…”

And then, with an icy grin, the okami turned and left.

“Prick,” Joshua spat. Looking at Neku, he frowned worriedly and asked: “He wouldn’t really try to hurt or kill me, would he? Because he’d hurt or kill you in the process, and he can’t afford to lose everyone…”

“…I don’t know…” Neku murmured. “I… I’m not even sure I know him at this point…”

“I’m sorry he’s being such an ass, Neku, but I don’t want either of us to suffer because of him. Something needs to be done,” Joshua sighed. “I just don’t know what that something is…”

Neku sighed softly as he sat back further. “…I just wish he could…”

“Could what?”

“…I just want him to be happy… yanno?”

“I know, but Neku, he can’t be threatening either of us on territory that’s not his,” the teen pointed out.

“I know… I know…”

“Neku.”

“I know alright?!” Neku hissed. “…but… it’s just…”

“I know, you want him to be happy. I truly, honestly understand that, I promise,” the smaller male smiled softly. “But he can’t go around doing what he wants… Especially if the Spring of Origin works.”

“…yeah…”

“I love you, Neku,” Joshua murmured, hugging him.

“…I love you too…” Neku whispered quietly.

“What would you do if he tried to hurt me…?”

“…If he tries anything… I suppose I’ll have to… stop him…”

“You suppose?” the silverette frowned, pulling back to look his bonded in the eyes.

“I’m sorry, just… this is hard for me… okay?”

“I know it is, but you also need to think of what he’s doing to you, to me, and to our future,” Joshua murmured.

“…I know…”

“Just… keep close to me,” Joshua mumbled, tired of hearing those same two words. He pressed close to his okami regardless.

Neku curled his arms around Joshua quietly, nodding softly. “I promise…”

“Thank you…” the silverette whispered, nuzzling his lover.

Neku merely hummed as he held the other male close.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a hundred percent sure where this story originated from, but I guess that matters very little at this point. This was started as an RP between me and Night_the_Dragon, and I figured it was about time to bring this out.


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